Perfect Couple
by missscatterbrain325
Summary: In Episode 132, Saori made her move on Darien despite having been introduced to Serena. Clever & classy, Rini implied that Darien may actually prefer the brunette. It was implied that she'd make the 'better fit'. What if Serena took those comments to heart? What if it was the last straw for her? Can Darien win her back & convince her that they were indeed, the...'Perfect Couple'
1. Prologue

**A/N**: Even though I liked the **Perfect Couple** episode, there is something not quite right with the way Serena was being treated. So deriving from the episode (and using some lines from it, rearranged to suit my purpose), and adding my own twist, I present to you my latest fiction, named after Episode 132 that inspired it.

**Please note**: I'm making Serena (and the girls) one or two years older than she is and setting the story _after_ the battle with Queen Nehelenia but _before_ the Sailor Star Arc. Sequence of the events/dialogues in the anime (if used in the story) will be manipulated to suit my purpose.

**WARNING:** This fiction will be dark. It is harsher than my other stories and will be filled with bitterness and resentment. I just feel that Serena keeps a lot to herself, despite the wailing and crocodile tears. I think she took a lot, accepted a lot, and give too much of herself without being recognised or appreciated. The way the anime (original, not Crystal) presented it, I see the people closest to her (not all, but most) as being the most detrimental to her self-esteem. They didn't just take her for granted but they also put her down rather consistently. So, in this story, Serena is _finally _lashing out.

**MORE WARNING:** This story **_will _**address the incestuous kiss between Black Lady and Tuxedo Mask. If you think the subject will offend your sense of propriety, **DON'T READ** this story. If you are a Rini fan that will **_cringe_** if she is portrayed as anything **_but_** perfect, **DON'T READ** this story.

This story is dedicated to **SailorMoonForever**, another wonderful friend I met on ff. **SMF**, while **Shay** is my anchor you are my balm, equally precious, equally treasured. Thank you for being my friend.

**Thoughts are in **_Italics**.**_

(Standard disclaimer: I do not own any of the Sailor Moon characters. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.)

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><p><strong><span>Summary:<span>**

In Episode 132 of the anime, Saori made her move on Darien despite having been introduced to Serena. She could not quite accept that someone like Darien would be with someone like Serena. She wasn't the only one who thought so. Clever and classy, Rini implied that Darien may actually prefer her to Serena. It was implied that she would make the 'better fit' for Darien. What if Serena took those comments to heart? What if it was the last straw for her? Can Darien win her back and convince her that they were indeed, the... '**Perfect Couple**'

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><p><span><strong>Perfect Couple (The Prologue)<strong>

**_Darien's Apartment (Saturday Evening)_**

Serena was _fuming_. Her nerves were frazzled and near to the breaking point. Rini's words rang over and over again in her mind, mocking her, taunting her. It was infuriating, maddening and scaring the hell out of her.

"You can't just cling to the idea that Darien's love for you will never die. Didn't you see Saori? She's prettier, more sophisticated, smart and certainly much more intelligent than you!"

She had chosen not to let the little girl's words hurt her, chose instead, to believe in her love.

"After everything we've been through, how can I doubt Darien's love for me? You don't know anything, Rini."

"They are out there, _right now_, shopping **_together_**, spending time **_together_**, while you are here **_alone_**. Not that I'd blame him. You two are as different as chalk and cheese and I think she's way classier! I'd much rather have her for my mother if I could choose. But I can't and the biggest bummer is that I won't be born either if you don't get your paws back into Darien!"

Those words cut deep.

_She's wrong! Of course Darien loves me! Our love is meant to be! He wouldn't be interested in Saori. She's his friend. His classmate. Urggh! I can't believe I'd actually listen to the little brat! _Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she distractedly opened the door to his apartment.

The colour drained from her face. She felt something slammed hard into her chest and as though the ground had fallen away from her. It felt like being blasted by a Youma.

Darien was sitting in the sofa in his living room. In someone else's arms. In Saori's arms. His lips just parted from her lips. Another girl's lips. Saori's lips.

Serena's hands clenched at her sides. "I guess I should have knocked." Her voice was somehow emotionless and she was grateful for it. Maybe his apathy was rubbing off on her. That would be useful. Not to care. Who was she kidding? She hurt so bad that she'd rather be blasted by a Youma. She'd rather be blasted by a **_thousand_** Youma!

Darien abruptly pulled himself away from Saori. Horrified apologies whirled through his head amidst all the confusion he was feeling. His face was now as pale as hers as he scrambled towards her in panic.

"Serena. It's not what you think. I swear it's not!"

Serena gripped her hands tightly together. She felt like falling to the ground, to just sit and weep. But she locked her knees straight. If composure was the only thing she had left, she would cling to it.

"I don't think anything." She answered coldly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be going now."

She had to get out of there. Had to get out of there before she broke down and make a complete fool of herself. She won't! Especially not in front of **_her_**! _Pretty__, sophisticated, smart, intelligent Saori_ as Rini described her.

The calm way she spoke had panic streaking through him. He pushed forward as she turned to open the door and let herself out. Desperation rose like a flood and he slapped both hands on the door, effectively closing it and trapping her between it and his body. Desperately, he whirled her around to face him. The look on her face had him instinctively gentling his hold. "Serena," he pleaded urgently, his hands cupping her face, "I didn't kiss her. She kissed me. I **_swear_** I don't know where that came from!"

Saori watched the exchange in fascination. She had never seen Darien quite like this before. Frantic and desperate. He was always so calm and collected. Drawing in a deep breath, she started to open her mouth to say something but Serena beat her to it.

"Don't you now? Weren't you just spending the day together? The whole day?" she asked sarcastically, "Did you have fun, Darien?"

"Serena. Darien was just helping me choose a present for a guy friend. I needed a guy's perspective." Saori finally found her voice.

Serena pulled herself out of Darien's hold, stepped away from him and turned her cool gaze towards the beautiful brunette, "Were you now? So you finally decided on a kiss?" Turning to Darien, she continued, "What was your **_perspective _**then, Darien? Was it good?"

"Serena!" Darien was shocked by her response. This wasn't his carefree Meatball Head. Bemusement warred with frustration. Turning to Saori, "Saori, I'm sorry. But I think you'd better leave now," he said curtly.

"No. That's okay. You can stay. I'll leave."

Darien's eyes narrowed and sharpened as he gripped Serena's arm to keep her in place while opening the door to let Saori out, barely glancing at the brunette as she hurriedly left.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Darien started to lay his hands on Serena's shoulders.

"Don't" she cringed away, crossing her arms over herself in self defence.

He felt something ripped apart in his gut at her rejection. His chest tightened so that he had trouble breathing. His hands fell limply to his sides. "Do you honestly believe that I would I cheat on you?" he asked her incredulously.

He raked his hands over his face in agitation. "Knowing where we came from, knowing what future lies ahead of us, do you **_really_** believe that I would cheat on you?!"

"That's the point, isn't it, Darien? The past that _was_. The future that _will be_. What about the _present_, Darien?" Her voice was so thick with tears now that she had to fight for every word.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't want to be with someone who is only with me because of a promise made a thousand years ago, in a different lifetime! I don't want to be with someone who's only with me solely that he could ensure the existence of a future child that will always mean more to him than I ever will be!"

"It's not like that!" It appalled him that she would think so.

_I'm so tired_, Serena thought, _so terribly tired_.

It was as though all the joy she held inside her heart had left her, replaced instead with cold emptiness.

"Do you realise Darien, we've only been on **_one_** proper date?" She asked dejectedly.

Darien sputtered. "What? That's not true! We go out all the time!"

"Yes. We, as in the _three_ of us, go out a number of times. The three of us, you, Rini and me. You and _she_, go out _all _the time. _You and I_? On a proper date? Just that one time before she dropped out of the sky. You haven't asked me out on a date again, not once since then. I'll bet you've been out with Saori more times, spent more times with her than you do with me. Your time alone with her today is probably more than your time alone with me for the whole month."

"Serena..."

"You have no right to hurt me this much. And I won't let you anymore. No more." She cut him off wearily. Yet there was a resolve behind her statement.

"I wanted so little from you. So _ridiculously_ little. And I would've given you _anything_ and _everything_. I'm ashamed. _Ashamed_ that I was actually willing to settle for any little scrap you'd be willing to throw my way."

She let out a short derisive laugh, "That's exactly what I got from you, isn't it? Scraps and crumbs!" Her breath came out steady, strengthening her as she went on, "And I took it. I took it because I thought that my love would be enough for the both of us. Because I thought that maybe one day you'll love me back the way I want you to. The same way **_I_** love **_you_**."

Pain rushed into her eyes but it remained dry as she continued. "I can't do this anymore. I deserve better than to be with a guy who's only with me out of obligation."

Darien exploded. "I'm not with you out of obligation!"

"You're not with me out of love either!"

"Serena!"

"You stood by as people put me down, _all _the time! Even Andrew has stood up for me more than you have!"

"And you conclude from **_that_** that I don't love you?"

"Your daughter sassed me every chance she gets and you're okay with that!"

Darien was bewildered. Added to that was annoyance and an anger that was trying to surface, "My daughter? _My_ daughter?" he asked in disbelieve. "She's **_our_ **daughter, Serena!"

"And yet she treats _you _with love and affection and _me_ with disrespect and disgust! I am a _**teenager**_, Darien! I'm not old enough to be a mother! Yet I'm not just expected to _be_ one but I'm expected to be a _good_ one! With everyone looking down at me! With no support or understanding from the very people who are supposed to be on **_my _**side!" she shouted.

All the anger she had been feeling, the resentment bottled up for a long time, came spewing out and Serena was helpless to stop them, "Mama doesn't even love me anymore. I get punished all the time for something _she _pulled. She took over my house, my family, my friends and even you. _Especially _you!"

Shaken by her pain, she turned away from him and stared at the wall in front of her as the steam ran out of her and her voice became small and broken. "You were so proud of Saori, of her accomplishments. You even know her dream. You were practically gushing over her." She said of their earlier conversation with Saori and Kobayashi. "Did you ever ask how **_I_** feel? What **_my _**dreams are? What** _I _**would like to do? Do you _ever_ just want to spend time with **_me_**, anymore?"

Because her back was to him, she didn't see the sudden change in Darien's expression. She didn't see the stricken look on his face and the guilt that rushed into his eyes.

"Oh Serena," he murmured, not knowing what to say to make things better for her.

"I don't exist anymore, Darien. I stopped existing the day Rini arrived."

She let the words hang and closed her eyes on them for a moment. When she opened them and turned to face him again, they were fierce and determined. "The future isn't set in stone. In fact, we know better than anyone that even the past isn't set in stone. Her coming back here, to this time...that in itself is rewriting history. And we are expected to preserve the future? What kind of future exactly am I preserving?"

Darien was at a complete lost for words and Serena once again heard Rini's voice inside her head. "Don't you think deep thoughts? Or think about your dull life like what's going to make you happy in the future? Have you set any goals? Do you think of those sometimes?" the little girl had said.

Rini was right after all. Serena raised her chin determinedly and plunged ahead resolutely, "I want a happy future, Darien. I want to be happy. I want to make my own future and if that makes me selfish, then so be it. According to all of you, I am that and a whole lot of other things anyway. Maybe it's time I live up to everyone's _real_ expectation of me, selfish, stupid, irresponsible childish klutz who will never be good enough, who will forever be a disappointment, who will always remain unworthy. Unworthy of your love. Unworthy of anyone's respect."

The finality of her tone had fear gripping his stomach. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out, "Serena."

"Don't touch me," Her voice was so cold that his fingers dropped.

He ran an agitated hand through his hair. "I understand you're upset. But we need to talk about this. We can figure this out." His eyes beseeched her for understanding. With a strong effort, he kept his voice calm. It wouldn't do for the both of them to lose their cool. "We'll wait until you've had some time to calm down. I'll pick you up tomorrow and we'll go somewhere and talk about this."

"No. I'm done talking. I'm done. _We_ are done," she said as she pushed past him and walked out of his apartment, _out of his life_ as far as she was concerned.

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><p><span>Posted on fanfiction<span>: **04 October 2014**

**A/N:** Well, was it too harsh? Let me know what you think. But **_please_**, NO flame.

**P/S: **I **_know_** I should be fixing **TOBITF**'s latest chapter and uploading it. It **_has_** been written, for over a week in fact. But it requires some editing and I'm getting all these snippets for this story and **EVER AFTER** and can't seem to focus on **TOBITF**. I'll **_try_** and get back to it as soon as I can but... no promises. Do check out **EVER AFTER** though. It's my first medieval fantasy. And I think it may have the potential to be as fun as **TOBITF**.


	2. Poison Catalyst, Patronising Censure

**A/N: **I was simply amazed by the response that greeted this story. Wow! Thank you so much everyone! For all the reviews/follows/favourites! I hope this next chapter lives up to expectation. Although, since I'm backing up a bit to the events of Episode 132 to address what led up to Darien and Saori's kiss and Serena's angry burst, this chapter won't be as harsh as the previous chapter. I also used a large portion of the dialogues in Episode 132 here (manipulated to suit my purpose).

**Please note**: The **Poison Catalyst** in the title of this chapter, refers to everyone including Saori (duh!) but mostly, as mean as this will sound, it refers to Rini. Since I'm a Chemistry major who absolutely love the subject, it's also important for me to clarify that this is only loosely based on said chemical term. In fact, a negative catalyst would be more accurate to describe Rini (a catalyst speed up a reaction while a _negative_ catalyst slows it down). But as a writer, poison catalyst sounds more dramatic (though chemically, they are not exactly the same). Hence, if there are any chemistry majors out there reading this, please don't take the meaning to be so literal! ;) All in all, I'm just trying to convey that she is detrimental to the progress of S&D relationship (in my opinion).

Once again thank you very much for all the follows/favourites and especially those who took the time to review. I apologise if my response is a bit abrupt but there are quite a number of reviews (and I appreciate every last one!) and I wanted to post this chapter before I start reading my copy of Blood of Olympus (so excited!). So here goes:

**sailor silvimoon:** LOL. You're welcome. I'll try my very best to make them work for it. ;) **Trish1573: **LOL. What an instinct. Even I didn't see this coming! Does that mean that **TOBITF** is no longer your favourite? ;) **Lunar Cadet:** Hey you! I've missed your review! I'm glad you're still reading my stories...:) I'll try and update as much and as fast as I can for both stories! **nickybluejess: **I hope it lives up to your expectation! ;) **Annabel Willow:** I'm glad you liked it! :) Darien, Rini and Scout's POV will be explored as the story progresses. **CherrySerenity-sama:** A bit of Rini here though I do confess I'm not sure if I can write her quite objectively since we both know how much I don't like her! ;) **ISana55: **I'm glad you thought so. Here's more. Enjoy! ;) **kera69love: **LOL. He won't just dance, by the **Epilogue** he'll be singing! ;) **Kissesncake: **I'm so glad you thought so! ;) **BuffyandDracoLover: ** I'm glad you approved! I promise I'll continue until the story is finished but you have to promise to read till the end, deal? ;) **bunny88rosemagic:** Hi! I've been missing your reviews and am truly glad you haven't given up on my stories. Thanks! ;) **escape-reader13:** I'm glad! I was surprised it wasn't explored in the anime too... **SerenityShields: **What a compliment which I don't think I deserved but thanks! Really;) **sanoluvme: **LOL. I'm really glad you're able to feel the emotions I was trying to convey. Some crawling on Darien's part, but in later chapters. ;) **witchhazelmoon: **I completely share your sentiment both regarding Rini and Serena's reaction to Saori (and the reference to fisheye) in the anime. :) **boston: **I'm glad! Rini's attitude really bothered me and Serena to me **_is_** strong. :) **GraphicsChyk: **Thank you! Here's more! ;) **Princess Eternal: **Here you go! Hope you'll like! ;) **SeleneJade:** LOL. Your order, my command! ;) **purplelarkspur: **I don't like Rini either. Hated the way she treats Serena and the way she is with Darien doesn't feel quite right to me either. I hope you like my other stories. Let me know what you think? ;) **petites sorcieres: **LOL. You're most welcome! ;) At least you liked her just a bit...I never did which is why I've never written her in any of my stories until now. Her disrespect towards Serena really bothered me as was Darien's indifference to it. To answer your question, in my mind, Fiore did happen though I don't know yet if I'll be writing it into the plot. We'll see;) **AcquaGoddess: **I completely agree with your take and share your sentiments. Since you're off to my other stories, I'd love to know what you think of them ;) Thank you for the cookie. Virtual milkshake to you! ;) **Gu****est (1): **Hi! You're welcome. I hadn't quite thought of it as a bridge until you mentioned it but it gave me an idea for a future chapter. So thanks! If you give me a name to refer to you as, I'd give credit where its due once/if I do write it in ;) **Guest (2):** I'll try my very best though I do think she _is _strong even without my story/adaptation. There is something to be said about gentle strength I think. Rini annoys me too and I'm glad I'm not alone in that. **Panda: ** I'm glad! Yes, it's high time, isn't it? ;) **Hagu: **I'm with you on all points. It really is unfair to expect her to be a mother when he never really treated her as a girlfriend in the first place, isn't it? Without the experience of romance and courtship that usually comes before motherhood. That's what I'm trying to explore her. Thank you for the support. ;) **AvoidedIsland: **You're welcome and thank to you also. I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking the way I do. ;) **Cheery Tropay Venturi: **I'm proud of her too! ;) And yes, they'll be getting that wakeup call! **Honeylove90: **LOL! Here you go! ;) **Leslie wjack: **Here you go! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter. Hope you'll like this one too ;) **Sailor Amaranth: **I'm really glad I wasn't the only one bothered by it. As to the reason behind Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion sent Rini back at this particular time, one of the guest reviews just gave me an idea for a plausible one which I hope to explore in a future chapter. Stay tune! ;) **MissJay:** LOL. I hope this is soon enough! ;) **Wonderwomanbatmanfan: **LOL. I'm just glad it's not a flame! Here's your update! ;) **Emily:** LOL. I think at best I'm mediocre but thanks for the compliment! ;) **tpaul0055: **LOL. Here's more. I hope you like. ;) **Trosario: **I'm glad you liked it! Here's more! ;) **Romyna.Z: **I'm so glad! ;) **Guest(3):** Aww...I'm sorry I made you cry. I will fix it in due time!) Here's your next chapter! ;) **yoonsyk: **I'm glad you thought so and also glad that I'm not the only one. The lack of support shown by her friends bothered me too. In fact, I wrote another fiction (**Come Back To Me**) in which I fixed that to my heart's content! You could always check that out while you wait for me to finish this fic ;) **Guest(4):** Other than...? **devafiend:** Ermmm, were you and **Guest(4) **the same reviewer? I wonder... Either way, I'm glad! And I agree with you, she does have the purest heart of all. LOL. Here's more and don't worry, I'll keep writing until I complete the story. Promise! ;)

Last but not least, **SailorMoonForever: **LOL. It would figure that you're the only one out of more than forty reviews to say that you hate it! Not to mention that the story is dedicated to you! Just like **CBTM** the mushy moment will come in its own time (by that, I mean at the VERY end AFTER all the anger and bitterness has been resolved, duh!) *eye roll* the things I do because I love you! ;p

**Telepathic communications / thoughts are in **_Italics__**.**_

(Standard disclaimer: I do not own any of the Sailor Moon characters. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.)

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><p><span><strong>Perfect Couple (Part 1: Poison Catalyst, Patronising Censure)<strong>

**_Serena's House (Saturday Morning, Several hours before the Prologue took place)_**

Serena eyed the French toast on the table and gleefully went to hug her mother, "Mama! You made my favourite! Thank you! I love you! You're the best mother in the whole wide world!"

Ilene Tsukino laughed as she returned her daughter's hug, "You're up early this morning. You do know it's Saturday, right?" she teased.

Serena laughed good-naturedly. "Hmm... I'm meeting Darien but I need to stop by to see Raye and the girls first," she smiled as she sheepishly admitted to her mother, "I don't want to be late meeting Darien. I would have less time to spend with him."

"Oh! Are we spending time with Darien this morning?" Rini asked as she joined Serena and Ilene at the breakfast table, quickly grabbing two pieces of the French toast knowing that it was Serena's favourite.

Distracted, Serena crossed her arms across her chest, "**_I_**'m spending time with Darien this morning," she answered as she glared at Rini, "Why can't you let us spend some time on our own?" she asked with a note of whining and pleading in her voice.

"Darien loves spending time with me. Besides, why would he want to spend any time with **_you_** when he could spend them with **_me_**?" Rini taunted as she grabbed two more pieces of the French toast and gobbled them up as quickly as she could and reached for more.

Serena gasped and started to reach for some herself but Rini slapped her hand away.

"Mama, I want some French toast too." Serena whined as Ilene turned back to the table with a cereal box and milk carton in hand.

"Mama, she already had a lot. There are only two left," Rini said with practiced innocence.

"Now Serena, you know you have to share. Besides, you can have some oatmeal and cereal." Ilene reprimanded lightly.

"But Mama..."

"No buts. You're older than she is, Serena." Ilene said firmly.

**_Cherry Hill Temple_**

Bickering and arguing, the two girls arrived at the Cherry Hill Temple.

"Are you still fighting with Rini again, Serena?" Lita asked in exasperated amusement.

"She's being a brat, Lita," Serena complained. She wished just once that someone would take her side.

"She's just a child, Serena," Lita motherly scolded her.

"Yeah, Meatball Brains. Will you act your age for once?" Raye interrupted harshly.

"You're being mean, Raye!"

"Talk about being mean, most mothers put their child first, Serena!"

"Okay. I thought we are going to study?" Amy stepped in before a full on fight could take place.

"Do we have food? I'm really hungry," Serena moaned. She only had a bit of cereal before since she completely lost her appetite after the first taste of the oatmeal which her mother had insisted was healthy for her. So now she was really hungry.

"I thought your mother made French toast today, Serena?" Luna asked as she, Diana, Artemis and Mina joined the girls. She had left really early in the morning so that Diana could have breakfast with both her and Artemis at Mina's place.

"You know how she is. She eats like a pig! Never enough! Always wanting more," Rini answered cheekily before Serena could. And then pouting her lips, she turned sad eyes on Lita, "Did you make anything good today, Lita?"

Lita ruffled the little girl's hair affectionately, "I did. And there's enough for everyone!"

"Yeah, but Serena eats more than everyone puts together!"

Resigned as everyone started fussing over the little girl, Serena walked behind them, trying her best not to feel left out as she announced over the chatter of voices, "We can only stay for an hour at most. Darien wants to introduce me to a couple of his classmates."

The chatter stopped abruptly. "Darien's actually finally introducing you to his friends?" Mina asked almost disbelievingly knowing how private Darien usually is.

Raye burst into laughter as she turned to Rini, "You'd better fill me in later on how Meatball Head makes a fool of herself in front of them!"

"Are you sure you can't stay and study a bit longer? Your grades could use some work, Serena." Amy was more concerned with her friend's grade than anything else.

"Are you seriously asking her if she'd rather study than spend time with Darien, Amy?"

Serena struggled against the hurt that was trying to surface. She was used to this after all. So she took a deep breath, put a huge smile on her face and took the teasing in her stride and responded, "Well, he _is_ rather dreamy."

**_Darien's Apartment_**

"Hi Darien," A beautiful brunette in dark grey skirt and matching blazer and a tall brown haired male in a green suit greeted Darien.

Both looked proper and classy but neither outshone the raven haired who was dressed more casually in jeans and white shirt. The future King of Earth looked every bit as dreamy as his girlfriend claimed him to be as he opened the door to his guests.

"Hi guys. Come on in. I've just made some coffee," he said as he led them into his living room.

"This is pretty tidy, for a guy," Saori said as she took in her surrounding with keen interest. Even though she had been friends with Darien for a long time, this was the first time she had been invited to his place which both surprised her because Darien was usually so reserved but also pleased her because she had the biggest crush on him. In fact, she fancied herself in love with him.

"Yeah, he must be on the clean team," Kobayashi replied, trying his best to hide his distaste and disappointment because **_he_** was in love with **_her_**.

"Hey. What are you guys talking about?" Darien asked as he joined them, carrying over two cups of coffee in a tray.

Both were quick to answer, "Uh, nothing!" For their own personal reason, both laughed almost nervously.

"Here's your coffee," Darien said as he set the drinks down and served his guests. "Saori, did you finish your paper yet?"

Saori took a sip of her coffee, "Yeah. I jammed on it and I'm all done."

"Well, that's quite impressive," Darien replied. Her passion for her studies was their main common ground and one of the reasons he respected her.

Kobayashi looked around suspiciously while the two talked. Noticing this, Darien turned to him, "And you Kobe? What's up with you?"

"I was just wondering why you don't have any pictures around here." Kobayashi asked outright.

Darien was mildly confused, "Pictures? What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?!" Unable to help himself, Kobayashi slapped his hands hard on the table. "I mean you told us you've got a girlfriend. Let's see some prove!"

"Some prove? I guess I hadn't really thought about it." Darien answered easily, unperturbed, but bemused at his friend's violent request.

"Huh?" Saori felt some hope at Darien's reply. It sounded as though this 'girlfriend' wasn't a very important fixture in his life. _If she's really important to him he wouldn't just shrugged her off that easily_, she told herself, having no clue of the framed photographs of Serena he kept near his bedside and the ones in his wallet.

"You hadn't thought about it?" Kobayashi scoffed.

"Hey, keep your socks on! What's it to you?" Darien wanted to know.

"Don't know. I just wonder if she's real. Your girlfriend _is_ coming today, isn't she?" Kobayashi replied offhandedly.

"Well, she's real alright and she's..." Darien was interrupted by the bell ringing continuously. Looking towards the door with a smile on his face, "Here she is now. Excuse me," he continued and got up to greet his two favourite girls.

With Darien out of earshot, Saori turned urgently towards Kobayashi, "What was that about? It's none of your business!" she scolded, annoyed with his interference.

"Oh come on! I was only asking because you're too shy!"

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?" the brunette feigned ignorance even as a slight blush stole across her cheeks.

Kobayashi laughed sarcastically. "I have eyes, Saori. So tell me, why the special lipstick when you see Darien?" he asked almost accusingly.

"Huh?" Saori's cheeks reddened even more as her eyes widened in panic.

Kobayashi laughed yet again, "See? I knew I was right," he declared smugly.

"I think you're too nosey and way out of line."

"You just wish he was sweet on you."

Before Saori could reply, Darien came in with Serena and Rini clinging to each of his arm.

"Serena, Rini, don't be so clingy," he admonished.

Saori and Kobayashi couldn't believe their eyes.

_Is he for real?_ Kobayashi thought disbelievingly as his hope fell all the way down to his toes.

_Darien couldn't be with…this…child. _Saori was equally bemused as she watched the young blonde and the little pink haired child argued and fought for Darien's attention.

Darien waited patiently until his two ladies settled down and finally introduced his friends.

"I'd like you to meet a classmate of mine, Saori and our friend, Kobayashi."

Turning to his two guests, he added in uncharacteristic playfulness which should have clued Saori in on the girls' value to him, "This is Serena and Rini. A dangerous duo," but was lost on both Saori and Kobayashi either due to Serena's young age or the fight that she was currently engaged in with Rini.

"We were waiting to meet Darien's girlfriend. Do you know her?" Kobayashi asked impatiently, hoping that he was wrong. Hoping that Darien's girlfriend had yet to come, because how could this slip of a girl compete with _his_ Saori especially when his heart was telling him that the girl he was in love with was definitely on the verge of making her move on Darien?!

"Of course," Serena started coyly, "She's standing right here, in front of you," she stated with a bashful giggle.

"**_I_**'m his girlfriend and it's nice to meet you." Rini stated as she stood in front of Serena and pushed her face away by inserting her little fingers into Serena's nose.

Serena was mortified and the arguing commenced yet again.

"Serena!" Darien scolded and was surprised when Saori started laughing.

"It's your fault!" Both Serena and Rini said at the same time from opposite ends of the sofa Darien was sitting on, their hands fisted towards the other.

"Just put a sock in it!" he demanded. He was getting annoyed and slightly embarrassed that he didn't even realised that he was putting Serena in a worse light than she already was in front of his friends.

Thoroughly put in place, both girls apologized profusely.

"It's okay. Both of you are so sweet and funny. Here, help yourself." Saori said kindly as she pushed a box of bakery towards Serena and Rini. Inside, the brunette was very relieved. _She's very sweet and beautiful but there is **no way** Darien is serious about this child. She's just a child! _Her heart soared with that misconception.

The slight smile on Saori's lips wasn't lost on Rini as she eyed her suspiciously. She suddenly had a bad feeling about this girl.

Frowning slightly, the pink haired child asked outright, "Saori. What exactly is the nature of your friendship with Darien?"

Startled by the child's forthrightness, Saori answered hesitantly, "We've taken some classes together and we've known each other since high school."

Darien was practically gushing as he added, "Yeah but not for nothing, Saori's got much better grades than I have." The pride was clear in his voice.

"That's not true." Saori tried to deny humbly but Darien ignored her and continued affectionately, "Saori's decided to go into law enforcement after she graduates from college."

"Oooo. So you're going to be a police woman then?" Serena asked excitedly as though she wasn't already battling monsters on a daily basis. But Serena was kind that way. She would never belittle anyone's dream.

As the conversation carried on, Rini looked from Darien to Saori and back again..._ It doesn't sound like **officer **Saori & Darien are just school chums to me..._she thought suspiciously..._and here is Serena, acting like a fool in front of her! Metropolitan Police Chief! _Rini scoffed inwardly as Serena praised Saori and Darien smiled at the brunette with pride._ As if that's such a big deal compared to what we have had to face! Silly Serena might as well have been pushing Darien into Saori's arms! _Rini fumed.

**_The Shops and Streets of Azabu-Juban District_**

Serena stared intently at the two stuffed toys in her hands, trying her best to tune out the niggling feeling at the back of her mind and Rini's as yet unceasing lecture.

She really didn't want to think about it, Darien opting out of spending time with her to help Saori with something._ He's being a good friend_, she told herself. But she couldn't quite shake the nagging feeling that the day will be a bad one. _Why do I feel like something bad is about to happen?_

"Don't you ever wonder about the way your life is going?" Rini's demand cut into her thoughts and pulled her away from her reverie.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked absentmindedly, not really wanting to get into yet another argument with her future daughter.

Rini huffed, "Don't you think deep thoughts? Or think about your dull life like what's going to make you happy in the future? Have you set any goals? Do you think of those sometimes?"

When Serena didn't answer, the little girl huffed and left her to her own devices.

For awhile, she wandered around on her own but as fate would have it, she spotted Darien and Saori walking together, looking too chummy and friendly to suit her. Suspiciously, the little girl decided to keep her eye on them.

Completely unaware that they were being stalked, not just by a pink haired little girl but also by a brown haired male, Darien and Saori continued on their walk.

"Thanks for coming Darien," Saori said softly, ""Were you busy?" she asked.

"No," Darien replied simply.

"Because I really feel like I'm imposing."

"You're not. It's my pleasure to help you." His answer made her feel warm inside and gave her hope that there might be something there. Oblivious that it was actually Serena's influence that had opened him up and made him less reserved than he usually was, the brunette giggled in elation.

"So, fess up…what are you going to buy for this guy?" Darien teased.

Saori blushed and stuttered.

"_Is it_ for a guy? Maybe someone special?" Darien asked curiously, not realizing that his curiosity was being interpreted differently by the brunette. Wishful thinking sometimes had a way of changing simple curiosity into avid interest or even subtle jealousy…

Meanwhile, Kobayashi looked on forlornly, "Don't you think they are a good looking couple?" he asked the pink haired girl that was now walking by his side.

His question had Rini glaring with distaste and animosity.

Oblivious, the older boy carried on, "I mean it's as if they are a hot couple in a romantic movie. She looks like the perfect match for him."

Sighing dejectedly, he went on, "If only Darien had a girlfriend who was an intellectual match. Then maybe she'd forget about him."

Rini couldn't help agreeing with him. _If only Serena isn't such an airhead!_ She thought to herself before looking up at Kobayashi with a forced smile, "Well, don't just give up. Go get her, okay?" she said distractedly as she started walking backwards, "Think like a winner Kobayashi! Go for it! You can do it Kobayashi! Don't give up! Yeay!" she encouraged as she hurriedly left to try and find Serena, all the while thinking what a hopeless situation it was. _There's no way anyone would choose him over my Darien and anyone can see that Saori is better suited for Darien than Serena! Heck, anyone would be better suited for Darien than Serena!_ She thought frantically.

When she finally found Serena, she couldn't help the anger that was bubbling inside of her, "While you're trying to pick up yesterday's stuffed animals, Darien's getting picked up **_today_**!"

"What? By who?" Serena feigned ignorance.

"You can't be that thick? By Saori of course! They are out there, _right now_, shopping **_together_**, spending time **_together_**, while you are here **_alone_**. Not that I'd blame him. You two are as different as chalk and cheese and I think she's way classier! I'd much rather have her for my mother if I could choose. But I can't and the biggest bummer is that I won't be born either if you don't get your paws back into Darien!" Rini growled out her frustration.

"I know they're spending time together. He told me. An even if he didn't, I trust him. After everything we've been through, how can I doubt Darien's love for me? You don't know anything, Rini."

"You can't just cling to the idea that Darien's love for you will never die. Didn't you see Saori? She's prettier, more sophisticated, smart and certainly much more intelligent than you. Does any of this sink in past your hair?" Rini taunted snidely, not knowing that her mocking words would set forth into motion, catastrophic events that would break many hearts and put friendships to the test, that may even change the future she knew and even her very own existence.

**_Darien's Apartment (Moments before the Prologue)_**

Both Darien and Saori were sitting comfortably on the sofa, hot chocolate drinks on the table in front of them. Darien had been concerned by Saori's rather distracted behaviour before and thought it may have something to do with the guy she had bought the gift for. So, he had invited her in for a drink after their outing in case she needed someone to talk to. She was his friend and he was after all, completely happy in his own relationship. The thought of his Meatball Head brought a smile to his lips. He wondered what she was up to the whole day while he was helping Saori picked her gift.

Saori's clearing of the throat brought his attention back to her. He smiled almost teasingly, "So, when are you going to tell me?" his tone as teasing as his expression.

"What?"

"Who's the lucky guy you bought the tie for?"

Saori gripped the wrapped gift in her hands as hope soared higher in her heart, "Do you care?"

"As a friend I'm curious about who's worthy enough to get your heart."

"What do you mean?" She asked, testing him as she moved closer.

Her question brought a slight frown to his face. Perhaps he was pushing it a bit. He didn't like it much either when people try to pry into his private thoughts. _I should give her the same courtesy_, he thought, "Forget it," he said kindly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

But she couldn't forget it. She couldn't forget it because after a whole day spent with him and him being so kind and understanding and without his usual reserve, Saori was now completely sure that she was in love with him.

"What's wrong?" he asked when she sighed as if in defeat.

"Would you like it?" The hope inside her heart making it beat quicker.

"What? The tie?" he asked in bemusement, completely oblivious to her feelings for him.

"No. Not the tie. I was thinking…" She caught one of his hands and held on to it.

A warning signal sounded dimly in his head. He thought it ridiculous and ignored it. He gave her an encouraging smile and patiently waited for her to continue.

She leaned forward and kissed him instead. Not a platonic kiss. Saori poured herself into the kiss as she curled her fingers into his hair, waiting, wanting and urging for him to return her passion.

But it never came. His lips did not respond, his hands were limp at his sides and he was as still as statue.

When she drew back, it was complete shock and astonishment that she saw in his eyes.

Before she could say anything or even contemplate on _what_ to say, a cool voice interrupted and broke Darien's trance.

"I guess I should have knocked."

Sooner than she could even blink, Darien was pushing her away and scrambling away from her. His face devoid of any colour as he frantically reached for his girlfriend, "Serena. It's not what you think. I swear it's not!"

She watched in fascination as the normally collected and confident Darien almost desperately tried to reason with the young blonde and was even more surprised to see the girl that she had thought to be childish managed to keep her cool. When Serena had turned to her with cool disdain when she had dared to interrupt, she had thought that she was being chastised by a queen. She wasn't at all surprised nor did the thought to object crossed her mind when Darien asked her to leave.

**_Outside of Darien's Apartment Building (Moments after the Prologue)_**

"Serena! I just saw Saori left a few minutes ago. What did you do? Don't tell me you were stupid enough to cause a scene and make a fool of yourself!"

Serena stared down at the girl levelly without saying a word.

"Oh my God, you didn't just went ahead and prove to Darien that he's better off with her, did you? Because God knows, he **_would_** be better off with her. But then, **_I_** won't be born!"

At those words, Serena let out a humourless laugh.

"What's so funny?" Rini demanded, "Why are you laughing?"

"You are and I'm laughing at the irony of the situation."

"Explain yourself!"

"If you were so concerned about being born Rini, why would you try your best to get between Darien and I?"

Rini's jaw dropped open both from Serena's words and the calm, logical tone in which those words were delivered.

But Serena wasn't done. "And you keep saying that if you could choose, you'd rather have someone else as your mother. My question, if **_you_** were to become a mother, would you rather have **_you_** for a daughter?"

Not waiting for an answer, Serena started to walk away but not before she heard footsteps and Rini's whining behind her, "Darieeeeeeeennn! Did you hear her?! Serena just said that she'd rather not have me as a daughter! You're not going to just let her get away with it, are you?!"

Too tired and too hurt to care, Serena didn't even bother to turn around.

* * *

><p><span>Posted on fanfiction:<span> **09 October 2014**

**A/N:** Okay, not as much anger in this chapter but I felt it was necessary to show the built up to Serena losing her temper in the first place because I really think it would take quite a lot for her to do so. The **Patronising Censure** really did come at her from every direction, didn't it? The next chapter will see Serena standing up to not just Darien and Rini but also the Scouts and Luna. I think it would be quite interesting to write. Let me know what you think! ;)


	3. Playful Camaraderie, Pejorative Comments

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Once again, the response to this story has been overwhelming to say the least. I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter but I've been very busy and also have other stories to update.

**Please note**: A portion of the dialogues in Episode 136: was used in this chapter (manipulated to suit my purpose).

Before I respond to individual reviews, I'd like to address several matters/comments that was repeatedly mentioned (by separate individuals) either via PM or reviews.

First thing is regarding updates which I **_don't_** mind people asking for. It's flattering and as long as the expectation is _**realistic**_, harmless. My stand on the matter is posted on my profile. For those who **_absolutely refused_** to accept my reasoning (given **_multiple _**times), I leave you with one last statement regarding the matter: **_Chapters don't come out of thin air_**.

Second is the **_assumption_** of my hatred of Rini which led to her elimination from my other stories and **_apparently_** the assumed outcome for this one. For the record, this is the only one of my stories that features the pink haired child. There are several reasons for this. One, I didn't want to write about a character I have no patience for. Two, I try to be objective about **_every_** character I write about (I don't see reasons to subject them to prejudice or bias simply because I don't like them). With Rini, the dislike is intense and I feared I might not be able to be objective with her. **_Those_** are my main reasons for not writing her in my other stories. The mention of my main fiction **TOBITF** where S&D have other children and not Rini made with the above conjectures bothered me. Rini _was **not**_ eliminated in **TOBITF**. She simply didn't exist in the first place!

Let me tell you how I met **SailorMoonForever **to whom this story is dedicated to. It was through her daunting fiction **Father Figure**. I didn't have an ff account yet but she was posting a few chapters a day and I couldn't help but be drawn to it. There was a character of a child in the story, Darien's foster child which I deduced to be Serena's biological child. Anyway, it got my mind turning. _How would __**I **__write a child of Darien and Serena? What would they be like if I could or **do** write them? _Instead of one child, my mind conjured sets of twins. And that my dear readers, was how **TOBITF** was born: **inspired from a character from a daunting tale by a very talented writer**. The conception of Darren, Darryl, Sara and Suri Shields had a lot less to do with how much I hate Rini and a lot more to do with my idea of what Serena and Darien's children would/should be like especially with such a kind hearted mother and a charismatic intellectual father.

Thirdly, a lot of readers mentioned this fiction to be cathartic for them. For that I'm relieved and grateful. But there are also many expecting for me to write Serena going all out angry (some mention of screaming match and such) If you're here expecting me to write a tale of Serena filled with blind hatred, **DON'T**. She is hurt and lashing out but her anger will be justified and will be portrayed in such a way. Writers I believe, leave a piece of themselves behind in every piece they wrote. And while I'm a person who believes that words can hurt more than a fist, I'm also a person who believes that integrity and dignity speaks louder and more clearly than any overdramatized spectacle. I also believe that cool disdain can be every bit as effective, if not more so, than shouted outrage.

Make no mistake, I have no love for Rini. But when I chose to write her in this story, expect for me to deal with her accordingly. Writing her out of existence in this case, in my opinion, would be a short cut to lazy writing. I am neither lazy nor a cheat. Pretending a problem doesn't exist won't solve said problem. Rini being gone won't change the fact that the Scouts were uncaring and sometimes cruel friends nor would it change Darien's outward indifference and unintentional callousness.

Okay, now that we've got all of that out of the way, *sheepish apologetic smile for a much needed rant* I'd like to thank everyone for the support/interest to this story. Thank you for reading, following and/or favouriting and thank you for all the reviews. As with the previous chapter, there are quite a number of reviews, so I'll thank you here in the beginning and apologise in advance for any seeming abruptness on my part. It isn't in my nature to brush people off but as it is, I think this A/N may be just as long as the chapter itself! ;p So here goes**. Thank you ever so much**:

**Trish1573: **I'm glad that **TOBITF**is still your favourite and gladder still that the chapter takes your mind of your worries even for awhile :) **Wonderwomanbatmanfan:** I'm glad you thought so! ;) **devafiend:** Okay, okay! LOL. Here you go! And yes, she will, in her own way! ;) **Syulai:** I really like how your thoughts always seem to mirror my own (in your reviews for **CBTM** as well. Thanks so much for those!). I love how you see my stories and interpret them. It's like you're able to see clearly what I'm trying to say :) **chikibum:** LOL. Here you go! ;) **The Geek Princess: **LOL. It seems that it did! ;) I don't mind the rant. Rant away. I agree with everything you said. **Panda:** You're welcome! I hope you'll like this chapter too ;) **Kissesncake:** Oh! How I wanted to as well! ;p **Cheery Tropay Venturi: **My dislike for Rini never went away either but I do like Darien (when he's not being callous and oblivious that is) Hope you'll approve of this update ;) **beaucoup riant: **I'm glad! Here's an update! Enjoy! ;) **nickybluejess: **You'll see parts of it in this chapter ;) **CherrySerenity-sama: **I'm really glad you agreed with me. Your opinion matters to me :) **Lady Kunoichi: **I'm glad! I did write my own version of the breakup arch but it was written from a different angle (to redeem Darien and the Scouts). This one is to redeem Serena and is harsher than **CBTM**. As for Rini, I'm trying to write her objectively. We'll see how that goes ;) **new-desi-serena: **I'm sorry but I was only able to understand parts of your review but I'm glad you liked the story and hope you'll like this update as well. PS: My Italian/Spanish/French are not very good but I do understand them if you want to leave your reviews in any of the languages :) **yunacarman:** I think it's _her_ way of loving him that's inappropriate. But yes, I agree with you, Darien is way too easy on Rini, unacceptably so! **purplelarkspur: **That last part was actually written first before the rest of the chapter. I'm glad you approved :) As for Darien's and Saori's thoughts, I think as you read more of my work you'll find that I try my best to portray each character as fairly as I can ;) No, Serena shouldn't just settle and she won't. I promise! And regarding **TOBITF**, of course it's okay! But I'd love to know what you thought of it so far ;) **Lady chaos:** I'm glad! Here goes nothing! ;) **GraphicsChyk: **I know :( They will realise, in due time. **Annabel Willow: **Though I wouldn't quite put it exactly the same way, I do agree with you! Read on to find out! ;) **BostonBill: **Here it comes! Agree and agree. Good! ;) **Nubia: **I feel bad for Serena too… Here's your next chappie! ;) **Leslie wjack: **Agreed! Again, agreed! He will, though not right away. I hope this is not too late… **ClassAct107: **I'm glad you gave this story a chance despite your first impression of it. I'm gladder still that you see dignity and class in it. Thank you :) **Mourn4Me: **Glad you thought so! ;) **Guest (1): **LOL. I'm glad. She's facing the Scouts and Luna in this chapter. Read on to find out! ;) **kera69love: **I'm glad you liked it and I agree with everything you say. I'm afraid there is no fixed update. I won't force my writing because I find that to be the best way to ruin a story. You don't want that do you? ;p **cross-over-lover232: **I'm afraid I don't see her with anyone else. I love Seiya and I think he's good for her and her self-esteem but Serena's greatest strength is her loyalty and her ability to forgive. Darien's not too bad. Just a tad damaged and scarred. **SailorMoonFan: **I'm glad you thought so and I agree. :) Words have weight and when used the right way, they hurt more effectively than the fist and lasts longer as well. **halenahaloway: **I'm glad you thought so! ;) Here's the next chapter. a**nimegirl336: **Here they come! Enjoy! ;) **Guest (2): **So, should I apologise for _not_ making you cry this time? Sorry. I'm just kidding. I know what you mean and … I will fix this relationship (promise!) but… it won't happen overnight. **Biche:** I'm glad ;) Here's the next chapter and you're most welcome! **escape-reader.13: **LOL. Here you go! ;) **bunny88rosemagic:** Hi there! I've been missing your reviews on **TOBITF** and **S+D=ss+dd** and it's good to hear from you here :) LOL. It's not mean to ask for an update. It's flattering ;) Serena has a lot to say to the Scouts and some of it will be said in this chapter. A bigger say will happen in Part 4 (I think) **serena princess 2: **I'm glad and you have my word I'll keep writing :) Here's the next chapter. **AimlesslyGera: **LOL. You're probably right! But watching an episode is a lot easier than interpreting and translating them into written narratives. ;) Here's your update. Hope this one counts! ;) **skyjadeprincess: **You're most welcome :) I agree with everything you said and hopefully I'll be able to make it work in this fiction I'm writing. Wish me luck! ;) **CowabungaBabe95: **I'm glad! Here's your update! ;) **Infinite:** I really hated it when she came into the picture too…And it really is unfair how Serena was treated. I hope you'll like this next chapter ;) **SerenityShields: **I'm so glad! And you're very observant. I am taking the same approach with this story as I did with **CBTM** where I start off with scenes from the anime and then going off in my own direction and twist. But I _fixed_ Darien and the Scouts in **CBTM** making them the way I want them. Here in **PC**, I'm making Serena the way I want her. **bunnie915:** I'm glad! Here's the next chapter ;) **Guest (3): **LOL. In my mind she had twin boys and twin girls! I even wrote it into my other fiction, **TOBITF** ;) **petites sorcieres: **It's not in me to hate or judge blindly and even though I don't like Rini, it's still not reason enough. There's usually a reason to everything and I hope to explore that in this story and I hope you'll stay till the end because I really love your take on my writing and agree with everything you said about the characters as portrayed by the anime. *sigh* they really don't treat her like the princess she is, do they? You're welcome and thank you for your very insightful review. I wish I could say more to do justice to your beautiful review but other than my stories and academic writings, I'm usually not very good with words. I do apologise and hope that you approve of this chapter as well :) **yoonsyk: **LOL. As long as they're dark chocolates! ;) Ouch! I'm youngest to a sister several years older than I am and I hope she NEVER sees me that way! Well, actually, I'm pretty sure she doesn't! ;p Anyway, I agree on your take although I don't think its limited to Asian cultures only. I'm an avid reader and being multilingual, I tend to read stories written by authors from different backgrounds/cultures/countries. It's a scenario that happens all over the world (in my opinion). But yes, I strongly agree with your last statement, it's never okay to be bullied, even worse when it came from those you consider friends and a child should _always_ feel loved in her own home. **Lunar Cadet: **Hey there! I'm glad you agreed and approved ;) And oh! I cringed too! *sigh* I wish he's as passionate about Serena as he was talking about Saori in that episode. It's unintentional but would still hurt just as much. Ah well, we'll see what I can do about it ;p **Guest (4): **Here you go! **xXx-ReBeCcA-xXx:** I'm delighted! ;) Here's your update. I hope you'll like it. **tsuki107: **Oh! That's a great compliment! :) **Guest (5): **I'm glad you thought so. Here's more! ;) **Guest (6): **LOL. Here you go! ;) **Sblck: **I think Serena's kindness is one of her greatest strength but you're right, she needs to stand up for herself and in this story, she will. ;) **xXSakuraBlossomsXx: **I'm absolutely delighted you thought so and thank you for the special mention of my Sara & Suri. :) Can you just imagine Rini in **TOBITF**? ;p **TheMoonsPanda: **I'm really glad :) She's very disrespectful and I too get uncomfortable watching her with Darien. It just feels _wrong_ to me. The issues you raised will be addressed in this story though not all at once. **UsaMamo1989:** Brilliant that you thought so! ;) **Emily: **Wow! I'm glad you see my writings that way as that was my aim. It's a beautiful compliment and a beautiful review. Thanks ever so much :) **JJen.A: **I agree there's a lot whole more to Serena that went by unnoticed which hopefully won't be anymore once I'm done with this story ;) And don't worry. **TOBITF**is never far from my mind and will be updated as much as I can. Promise! :) **Guest (7)**: LOL. There are probably a lot out there that we haven't come across yet. But here's more of my version ;) **tinyNecile: **I'm glad you liked it ;) I don't like the way Serena's treated either and I definitely don't like Rini.

**SailorMoonForever:** Finally! LOL. *squeal & hug* You know I love you but…I don't think I can give up my books…NOPE! Not even for you! I go into withdrawal without my books. How then do you expect me to complete this story?

**Telepathic communications / thoughts are in **_Italics__**.**_

(Standard disclaimer: I do not own any of the Sailor Moon characters. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.)

* * *

><p><span><strong>Perfect Couple (Part 2: Playful Camaraderie, Pejorative Comments)<strong>

**_Serena's Bedroom (Sunday Morning)_**

Serena didn't want to wake up. Afraid of the black pit of misery that may lay waiting for her once she let awareness slid into the comforting blanket of sleep. Unfortunately, she wasn't given much choice on the matter as Luna jumped onto her stomach over the comforter.

"Wake up, Serena! You have a study session with the girls today and then training." The black feline guardian ordered sternly.

Disgruntled, the reincarnated Moon Princess simply pulled her cover more closely around her and firmly burrowed into the bed. "It's Sunday, Luna," she mumbled out tiredly.

Undaunted, Luna started to burrow her way into the comforter but when she couldn't find any opening to the Serena burrito, the guardian cat improvised and scratched her ward on the only surface available to her, the scalp.

"Oww! Luna! That really hurts!" Serena said as she sat up on the bed, rubbing the sore spot.

"Well, if you had gotten up when I asked you to…" Luna looked at her unsympathetically as she went on to lecture, "Honestly Serena. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders. You _have_ to learn to be more responsible. This laziness is unacceptable."

Serena frowned, "I'm not lazy, Luna. I'm just tired. It's Sunday. Yesterday was a long day."

"Rini's already up. And she got back later than you did yesterday." Luna retorted calmly and then added as an afterthought, "And what were you thinking letting her come back on her own that late in the evening?"

The mention of her future daughter brought a twinge of pain to Serena's heart. She remembered what was said yesterday between her and the pink haired child and even though a part of her _was_ sorry, a larger part of her was not.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and recalled everything else that had transpired the day before, the _enormity_ of what she had done yesterday.

_I broke up with Darien_, she said to herself, and waited for the pain to strike.

After a few moments, those eyes opened with calm acceptance instead. She was blessedly numb and was grateful for it. She was totally fine with being numb. She'd even be okay with anger. It was the despair that she was trying her hardest to put off, for as long as she possibly could.

"Are you going to get ready? Or do I have to scratch you again?"

"You go ahead with Rini, Luna. I'll join you a bit later," Serena answered firmly.

Luna started to say something but anticipating her, Serena put a hand up signalling for the cat to stop. The gesture of command was so rare from her that Luna immediately obeyed.

"I'd like to walk on my own Luna," Serena said by way of explanation.

**_Cherry Hill Temple_**

Serena absently walked up the steps to the temple, lost in thought. But as she approached Raye's room, a sense of foreboding filled her and her chest tightened with the knowledge that she would probably be in for another long lecture and disappointed disapprovals from everyone in the room she was about to enter. She almost regretted her decision to show up slightly later than even her usual tardiness. _Almost,_ _but not quite_, her somewhat rebellious heart assured.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the negative thoughts aside, forced herself to smile her usual wide smile, slid the door open, and froze at the unexpected sight that greeted her.

Darien who looked really good in a salmon coloured shirt, was sitting very close together to Amy who looked particularly scholarly in a yellow shirt complete with a red tie. Their heads bent together over Amy's workbook.

For a moment, her breath caught in her throat. Somehow, they looked so right together, equally proper, equally clever.

Attuned to her, Darien looked up and was promptly on his feet. His heart clenched at the sight of her. A volatile mixture of worry and confusion, hope and fear swirled in him as he nervously walked towards her and bent down to greet her.

She shifted her head away so that his kiss landed to the side of her head instead and ignored the protests of her heart that just for a weak moment, yearned for the kiss, scolded it when it dared to remind her that she could not remember the last time he had kissed her and kissed her properly.

She shook her head, unable to speak for a moment and then, raised her head and forced herself to look directly at him.

He was watching her, she realised, with grim and hurt eyes at her apparent rejection.

"What are you doing here, Darien?" She questioned tersely.

Sensing the tension between the two, everyone stopped talking, and came to the wrong conclusion.

"Jealousy just arrived," the casual remark came from Raye and Rini at exactly the same time.

Serena glanced down at the child currently sitting on the priestess's lap on the floor, completely unsurprised by their comment or their apparent unanimity to one another.

"Darien comes to study buddy to help all of us learn, Serena," Mina announced, the slightest note of scolding in her tone as she mistook Serena's silence as a tantrum of jealousy about to erupt.

Perhaps it was because she was usually the one that had her back, possibly it was because she was the most like her, maybe it was because she was the least likely to put her down or perhaps it was simply because she was _Mina_, the mistaken assumption and the slight note of scolding from the _leader_ of her Senshi, her _guardians_, the blow was unexpected and made a dent to Serena's unsuspecting heart. Shaking herself clear of it, she sent the blonde a smile and a nod in acknowledgement and wordlessly started to move away from Darien.

He stopped her however, with a gentle touch to her arm. The look on her face, just that split second of hurt before she covered it with the smile had hurt him, and hurt him deeply. He was surprised by the intensity of the feeling. Guilt swamped him when he realised that he wasn't just experiencing his own pain at observing her discomfort, but also _her_ pain at what she perceived to be as a lack of trust and faith from one she considered friend.

"I thought I'd join your study session and help out," he said gently as he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, smiling both consolingly and hopefully as he continued, "then maybe afterwards we could have lunch together, and have our talk?"

Serena's face was expressionless as she once again pulled away from him, answering him offhandedly as she took a place opposite to Amy across the table. "I was under the impression that we were having lunch here and studying till late afternoon before training till evening."

It hurts, he realised, a deep throbbing pain in the pit of his stomach, a slow twisting twinge in the heart and a frantic terror that rose to his throat, constricting his breathing when he realised that she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

And so, he went back to sit next to Amy to consider his next move, all the while considering her. _She's Serena. She won't stay angry for long. I'll just have to make it up to her and make sure she knows that she was wrong in thinking that I don't care. I just have to show her that I __**do **__care. It will be fine. We're meant for each other, _he tried desperately to assure himself.

Sensing Darien's discomfort, Amy started to make light conversation with the upperclassman. "Are you sure you don't have your own studying to do, Darien?"

"Well, I have a paper due on Friday but the apartment above mine is being renovated. I can't really concentrate with all the noise that's coming from up there," he supplied, a slight worry to his tone.

"You could always stay here, Darien. There's lots of room, for as long as you need," Raye offered, not even aware of the slight pleading, hopeful note to her suggestion or of the hand that was on her heart that betrayed her subconscious lingering feelings for the Earth Prince. "I'm sure Grandpa would be okay with it."

Maybe it was fate or maybe it was coincidence, but the man in question chose that moment to drop in his granddaughter's study session and Raye immediately forwarded the question to him.

Grandpa Hino jovially replied, "It would be a pleasure to have you stay at our temple, Darien. Mi casa es su casa."

"You're positive this won't be any trouble Mr Hino?" Darien asked uncomfortably. His instinct was saying that this was a bad idea_. A really bad idea_, he thought, _but it would be rude to back out of it now_, he sighed resignedly and glanced warily at Serena.

"Grandpa," the elderly insisted, "Any friends of Raye's can call me Grandpa. I'll wake you at daybreak for chores."

"Grandpa, he's got classes tomorrow. He can't do chores." Raye interjected, exasperated and slightly embarrassed.

Raye's grandfather studied Darien who was now standing up with Diana in the palm of his hand. He took in the good looks and the charisma, and his look became speculative. "You don't want him to do chores, huh? Guess you must really like the boy!"

"Uhh…He's a friend," Raye supplied helplessly, her face now red with further embarrassment at her grandfather's teasing.

Ignoring her, the elderly just went on, "You know, someday I expect to have lots of little great grandbabies crawling around here and Raye will need someone to help her run the place while I play with them. You look like you're in shape, clean cut too. If you have half a brain, you'd be an excellent candidate."

Darien tensed and involuntarily shot Serena another nervous glance.

Serena merely smiled sweetly at Raye's grandfather, "Don't worry Grandpa Hino," she said softly, "Darien is _very_ clever. Raye and he would make a beautiful couple. They'd give you beautiful grandbabies, Grandpa."

She then let her gaze fall on Raye and held, "I can completely picture it," she smiled almost winsomely at Raye's open mouthed stare and continued, "The two of you are so stunning individually. You'd look stunning together at the wedding and your babies would be stunning too, dark and exotic," she said without any malice.

The Scouts was speechless. Normally Raye and Serena would be engaged in a tongue war by now and the rest of them would either be ignoring them or trying to break them up. But the solemn, calm way that Serena reacted, took everyone by surprise that they were left silent even after Takeshi Hino took his leave.

Darien felt the knots already winding through his stomach yank tighter. His mouth had gone dry and there was a sour taste to it. He shook his head slightly but still couldn't find the words, miserably aware of a great searing fear, of intense loneliness that he hadn't felt since he first met her.

Finally, it was Diana that broke the silence as she importantly declared, "Don't worry future Queen. I'll watch over him. It's plain to me you guys really don't trust each other. So I can stay here as well as chaperone,"

Shaking the uneasy feeling building at the pit of her stomach, Amy interjected lightly, "Serena knows she has nothing to worry about. Raye and Darien are just friends, like brother and sister. Ever since those few dates they had."

Rini looked thoughtfully from Darien to Raye, "I never knew they went out."

Mina laughed uncomfortably as she too attempted to ease the tension with light teasing "They say you never forget your first love."

Lita laughed uneasily at that. _Trust Mina to make it worse with her mixed idioms_, she thought to herself, not even realising that the Scout of Love had actually gotten her phrase right this time though naturally with unintended consequence.

The brunette hasted to rectify the situation, "But they were so young, it was just puppy love." Again with unintended consequence because the thought her words brought to Serena's mind wasn't exactly comforting. _Puppy love or not, it was still love. I wasn't even his first love_, the resentful thought made its way to her psyche and buried to fester.

Just as oblivious, Amy heaved a relieved sigh. "Right," she said, "Now Raye is ready for true love and is on the lookout for Mr. Right."

A dark bitterness settled in Serena's heart as she looked from Raye to Darien to Rini, "Well, I'm not the only one, you think Raye is a good match for Darien too, don't you, Rini?"

She almost laughed when both Raye's and Rini's jaw dropped, again, in unison, and went on without waiting for their reply, "Of course you do! I almost forgot the incident with the curry when Darien dumped me over the nightmare and you tried to match him with Raye."

"Lucky that didn't work out or you wouldn't have been born, Rini! Next time, leave the matchmaking to the expert!" Mina's seemingly clueless response saved the day and as everyone decided to occupy themselves back in their studies, mostly to avoid the nagging sense of doom each felt and preferred not to face, Mina studied her Princess with a heavy heart. _Something's not right_, the Scout of Love thought with worry, _I'm sensing immense hurt and resentment from her. _Baffled, she turned to study Darien as well. '_Did something happen?' s_he wondered and erroneously dismissed the thought, _Serena's not resentful. She's __**Serena**__!_

And so the studying went on but because Serena wasn't really herself, the session was not as lively or cheerful as usual. In fact, it was almost lifeless and filled everyone with a sense of restlessness.

"You have to remember that the key is quadratic equation. That will give you the answer," Darien's patient explanation to Amy had Serena looking up at them.

She had felt his gaze on her more than once and had chosen to ignore them, ignore _him_. But now she studied his bent head that was so close to Amy's as they both worked through a particularly hard problem in her workbook.

"I'm so silly. Here I was trying to apply Pythagoras theorem when the answer was right under my nose." Amy laughed at herself and Darien laughed with her.

"You're a whiz at geometry Amy, just like everything else. I really enjoy working with someone who is very interested in learning."

"Thanks, Darien. And you're an excellent tutor. We all think so." The slight flirtation was definitely involuntary but did not go unnoticed by Serena.

"Well, math is easy to teach." Darien's reply had the two intellects laughing easily together once again as Serena continued to watch silently.

It bruised her already battered heart and further diminished her already tattered self esteem that he could be so affectionate with her friends and yet so indifferent to her, that he could be so concern towards their feelings and needs and yet so oblivious to hers.

_I can't remember the last time Darien and I bantered that easily or the last time he paid that much attention to me, _she thought, hurt and despair finally rising to fracture the wall of numbness and indifference that she had managed to hold on to before.

Seeing how quiet her friend was and not liking it, Lita playfully teased, "You're not jealous of Darien and Amy, are you Serena?"

Darien abruptly looked to Serena and felt his heart start to race with terrible fear at the empty look he saw in her eyes. His heart thudded a mile a minute as he fought to keep the panic down. Why on earth couldn't he read her eyes? He could always read her eyes if he looked hard enough!

He couldn't stop himself from reaching out a hand to her across the table, "Serena…" he started to plead.

She merely studied him thoughtfully and did the same with Amy before tuning back to Lita with the same winsome smile she had before, "No Lita, I'm not jealous," she answered her friend, "I think Amy and Darien would make as beautiful a couple as Raye and Darien."

Turning back to Amy who could actually feel the blood rise up to heat her cheeks but was too stunned to say anything, Serena once again sized her up calmly before announcing, "And Amy is Darien's intellectual match. They'd have a bunch of intelligent genius babies."

To say the Scouts and the cat guardians were stunned would have been an understatement. Her lack of concern totally astounded everyone.

Serena's smile turned mischievous as she studied Lita and turned back to Darien and spoke almost conspiratorially to him, "I know you don't see it, but sometimes I think you need a bit of mothering and Lita is great at that." She nodded decisively before continuing, "You and Lita would make a beautiful couple too. All that common ground and independence, the two of you would be really happy together."

She studied her friends one by one. She felt isolated from them. Alone, in a way that she had never felt before. A churning sensation in the stomach coupled with an emotional yearning to be accepted as one of them without having to try so hard all the time. **_All the time_**_._

"You are all really beautiful," she told them in a low voice filled with awe and sadness at the same time as though she was the only one who wasn't.

Turning back to Darien, she gestured to her friends, a proud smile on her face, one that didn't reach her eyes, "Aren't they, Darien? Wouldn't you agree?"

"None as beautiful as you," he dared to voice out, his voice husky with love, gruff with worry.

"Isn't it surprising Darien, that Mina is the only one I don't see you with?" she asked as though he hadn't said anything, "She's too much like me. Isn't that funny, Darien? I wonder what that says about us."

Lita couldn't stand it anymore. She took hold of Serena's arms and turned her friend to face her, "Serena. What's wrong? Are you alright? You were awfully quiet the whole day and now you're just talking nonsense. What's going on?" she demanded in concern, the vacant look on Serena's face deeply troubling her.

Serena seemed to remember herself. The worry in Lita's eyes and voice seemed to bring her back and gave her the strength not to give in to despair.

"I'm okay, Lita. Nothing much to say I guess."

She was conscious of him staring at her. Could feel his concern. But she had wanted so much to lean on him, to depend on him before, and he had let her down.

Raye's response was knee jerk, "_You_? With nothing much to say?" she mocked, to cover her own apprehension. This was a Serena that she had never dealt with before. One, she didn't quite know how to deal with.

Serena winced inwardly. For some reason, after her outburst with Darien, she found that her tolerance level was down to almost zero. That the anger and hurt, once let out just wouldn't stay locked anymore.

"Better to say nothing than to say something stupid, right Raye?" she tried to keep it light though her smile was tight.

"It's probably because she saw Darien and Saori kissing yesterday," Rini threw in carelessly.

"Rini!" Darien's face was taut.

"What?!" Everyone else's was shocked.

"Though I don't understand what the big deal is," Rini went on as though no else had said anything, "It's not like _he_ kissed her. _She_ kissed him and he already said he was sorry and everything. Serena's just being her usual bratty self is all."

"Rini, I think you've said enough," Darien said quietly but firmly, his face flushed with trying to hold in his emotions. He couldn't help but wonder if Serena was right. Had he really let Rini get away with putting Serena down this badly? To be so disrespectful and so tactless and condescending? He couldn't have!

He looked uncertainly Serena's way and could tell how dejected she felt and felt his own heart hurt for her. But then turning at Rini's innocent face, he felt like he was caught in a trap, that no matter how hard he twisted and turned, there was no way not to get hurt, no way to escape unscathed.

"Is this true, Serena?" Mina asked quietly, gently. Her protective instinct took over.

When Serena didn't answer, she turned to Darien, "Please tell me that you weren't stupid enough to be caught in a situation like this?"

Darien raised both arms up, palm out in a gesture of surrender, "It was a misunderstanding."

"What? Her lips fell on you? Or did you mistake her for Serena?" Mina asked sarcastically.

Ever the peacemaker, Amy stepped in, "I'm sure it really was a misunderstanding, Mina." Turning to Serena, she cautiously asked, "You don't really think Darien would cheat on you, do you, Serena? The two of you are meant for each other. Rini said he explained and apologised," she inserted soothingly, not realising that her placating and taking Rini's words was seen as yet another betrayal.

"Of course she doesn't believe that Darien would cheat on her!" Lita was quick to intervene, "She wouldn't be so calm otherwise! If something was wrong, she'd be marking her territory, making sure no one else is hitting on her Darien!" the brunette insisted, almost desperately and laughed to cover her uneasiness and concern.

"He's not mine. We broke up." Serena said it so calmly and so straightforwardly and unemotionally that it took a moment before what she said actually sank in to everyone else.

"Serena," Luna finally stepped in, "You do realise that your actions have consequences, right?" she asked slowly, as though talking to a child, unaware of how patronising her action was.

Before Serena could reply, Rini spoke lazily without even bothering to look up from the story book she was reading, "I'm still here, Luna. If she's seriously breaking up with Darien, I'd disappear. She's probably just milking it."

Serena stared at Rini, studying her carefully before she spoke, "How?"

Confused, the little girl looked up and shifted uncomfortably at the look that was on Serena's face, "How what?" the little girl asked, determined to hide her fear and guilt.

"How am I milking it?"

"You're acting out."

"I'm not crying. I'm not whining _or_ complaining. I'm not even demanding an apology or an explanation from anyone. How exactly am I acting out?" Serena demanded calmly, not taking her eyes off of her future daughter. Sighing tiredly she added, "I don't want to fight with you, Rini. I'm too tired. He's all yours. I'm not fighting with you for his attention. I _don't want_ his attention. He's completely yours. Shouldn't you be happy? Why are you still so disgruntled? You wanted him all to yourself and now you have him, to do with as you pleased." She couldn't stop the sarcastic note or the innuendo that came at the end but at the same time couldn't bring herself to care anymore either.

"Serena, that's entirely inappropriate." Luna scolded.

That does it. The wall of cool composure and indifference that she had managed to pull off before went tumbling down and Serena was up on her feet in an instant as she faced the black feline.

"What's inappropriate, Luna? If we want to talk about inappropriate, we could talk about two of my guardians, my _best friends_, openly flirting with Darien whom they assumed to still be my boyfriend just now! One also happens to be his ex girlfriend, and the other, under the pretext of studying! Without a thought or consideration to my feelings! Without even being _aware_ of my feelings! Without even caring if I _had_ feelings in the first place! Is _that_ appropriate?"

Amy was horrified, "Serena, I would never," the Sailor Scout of Wisdom couldn't even finish her sentence. Not that she was given the chance to.

"Intentional or unintentional," Serena cut in curtly, her voice low and dangerously calm, "the attraction is there, the mutual admiration for each other's intellect is there. Given the chance it could grow. After all, nobody here thought I was smart enough for him anyway."

"Serena," his firm, paternal voice just made her angrier and she whirled on him, "Don't use that tone with me! I am not your child, Darien!" Pointing at Rini, "She is!" Turning back to Luna, "And let's talk about the **_least_** appropriate thing of all, shall we Luna? Let's talk about the kiss Black Lady shared with Tuxedo Mask and how I'm supposed to feel about the fact that my future daughter is in love with my future husband." An involuntary shudder racked her body, disgust and revulsion came at the image she couldn't quite erase from her memory.

"Serena!" Six voices gasped all at once, completely mortified.

"Oh! Did I spoke out of turn?" Though they were mildly sarcastic, her voice and tone were both quiet now, filled with hurt and confusion, "Did I just mention something that was to remain unsaid? As though it never happened? But it did happen, didn't it? It wasn't just some nightmare that I dreamt out, was it? Or maybe, maybe I was **_so_** jealous of Rini that my mind just made it up?" She felt completely lost and broken.

"Serena, that was uncalled for." His voice was filled with pain and remorse that all the fight went out of her.

She just didn't have it _in her_ to fight anymore. Hurting him was never her intention. She loved him too much for that. She just wanted them to know that **_she _**was hurting **_too_**. She just wanted him to love her **_enough _**not to hurt her **_either_**!

Taking a deep breath, she relented, looked deeply into his tormented sea-at-midnight eyes and conceded. "I know," her tone just as quiet, her eyes just as anguished, "I guess I'm angrier than I thought."

But the expression on her face wasn't one of anger, accusation or even sarcasm. It was one of complete bewilderment and defeat.

She looked around the room at the people she loved the most and yet she couldn't quite see them the way she used too. Her heart couldn't quite believe that they loved her just as much as _she_ loved them. She felt completely alone and completely lost.

She sighed tiredly. "I think I'd better leave. I think I need a break...from all of you...for awhile at least. Maybe spend some time with my friends."

"But we **_are _**your friends, Serena." Mina's voice held a note of pleading to it.

"I'm not without friends besides all of you. I have other friends before I met you girls." Her curt response startled the girls and indirectly reminded each one of them that while _she_ had in fact been _their_ first friend, _they_ were not hers.

Slight guilt overcame Serena at the stricken look on their faces, and again, as in her nature, she relented and instinctively sought to soothe, "I've been neglecting them."

Except, the statement she made, made her feel worse when she realised how true it was. She hadn't spent much time with Molly, Yumiko or Kuri since she became Sailor Moon. It also crossed her mind that those girls had accepted her for who she was and had loved spending time with her, without _**ever**_ putting her down in the process. It made her resentment grow even more to recognize that knowledge and before she could stop herself, the words were out. "Surprisingly, they actually like me, and actually miss having me around. They don't find me too lacking or too inferior either."

"But Serena, you can't just take off whenever you want. You have responsibilities. You **_don't have_** the luxury to be selfish and irresponsible," Luna reminded her sternly.

"But that's just it, isn't it, Luna? I **_am_** selfish and irresponsible, at least according to everyone in this room. Why would it be out of character for me to just take off or not show up in the first place?"

* * *

><p><span>Posted on fanfiction<span>: **20 October 2014**

**A/N:** The title chosen for this chapter is to show that **Pejorative Comments**, even hidden behind **Playful Camaraderie **are not always subtle and more often than not, are very hurtful.

I don't tend to force my writing. I write _what_ comes to me _when_ they come to me. I write what I see/hear in my head and what feels right in my heart. I hope this chapter meets everyone's approval. Review and let me know what you think. Rant all you want. Vent if you need to. But please, **NO FLAMES** and **NO Request for Spoilers**.

Next chapter is tentatively titled **Punitive Consequences, Platonic Civility** will feature a rather harsh Serena/Darien confrontation (written already) and perhaps a Darien/Andrew moment (as yet unwritten). A harsher confrontation with the Scouts (also partly written) will feature in the following chapter tentatively titled **Probable Cause, Precarious Circle**. That's the only teaser/spoiler I'm willing to give for now. Please don't ask for more.


	4. Perverse Conjecture,Punitive Consequence

**A/N: ** My heart was rather bruised from the words and actions of some readers that I _almost_ deleted my account. Really, I get that readers escape into the stories they read but how many even remember that authors escape into their writings? That, chances are, the stories matters more to the author(s) that wrote them. And what does **_public_** author even means? **_Everyone_** who writes and publishes their writings? In that context, I think it's safe to assume when someone is being called an author by **_any number_** of the public, they are indeed a **_public_** author. Does that mean they are not entitled to any respect or common courtesy_,** at all**_?

*sigh* I actually **_prefer_** the silent readers compared to the **_tactless _**ones. If you have nothing nice to say, then just don't. It's what**_ I_** do often enough. That's why sometimes when I see over a thousand hits on a chapter I write and only about ten reviews, I get temporarily disheartened / demotivated because instead of thinking that my readers just can't be bothered to review, the thought that crossed my mind is that they have nothing good to say and was polite enough not to **_publicly_** ridicule my writings. The thought hurts but the consideration shown had me sighing with relief and gratitude. Writing anonymously under an assumed identity protects your name but it doesn't really protect your heart, pride or self-esteem, at least not in my case. Simply using a pen name does not turn me into an unfeeling, emotionless robot. Or at least it hasn't, **_yet_**. That said, I promised I'd finish my stories and I'm not about to let faceless cowards hiding behind their anonymity turn me into a liar, nor would I let them dictate my actions. I took a break because **_I_** needed it and I came back because **_I_** wanted to.

**IMPORTANT:** I've edited my **WARNING** section in the **Prologue**. But just in case you missed it, basically it's to tell readers to **STOP READING** this story if mentions of the incestuous kiss between Black Lady and Tuxedo Mask will offend your sense of propriety and/or if you are a Rini fan that will **_cringe_** if she is portrayed as anything **_but_** perfect. There are literally hundreds of fictions out there that paint her as sweet and angelic. Go read those instead. **_No one_** in my story is completely perfect nor is **_anyone_** completely bad. I don't believe such people exist.

**"_Deep vengeance is the daughter of deep silence_" – Vittorio Alfieri**

Anger, hurt feelings, insecurities will fester over time if they are not addressed. Denial only works for an extended period of time before reality slams you in the face and all this anger, hurt feelings and insecurities come back ten-fold than what they were before. That is the basis for the title **Punitive Consequences**. It is also the reason why I chose to address the kiss between BL and TM. Simply pretending it didn't happen _doesn't change_ the fact that it _did_ happen. Atrocity that big if kept bottled up will just fester, much like a snake's venom, it had to be sucked out completely for healing to occur. That's **_my_** opinion and this is **_my_** story.

Regarding Rini, I'm of the strong opinion that merely writing her out of existence would just be a short cut to lazy writing and the firm believe that it would not change the fact that the Scouts were careless friends nor would it change Darien's outward indifference and unintentional callousness. A reviewer (**ClassAct107**) wrote:

**_"Rini is actually a blessing in disguise in some ways (Oh I STILL HATE HER), but she gave Serena a glimpse of how Darien and Scouts would treat Serena in her presence. She sort of showed Serena the true colours of the people she loves. This would give way for the problem to be fixed."_**

That review captured the essence of what I had in mind.

Another review by a guest who in the latest chapter identified her name as **Lilly**, wrote:

**_"I appreciate that you are describing a different, darker side of Serena. It's good that you want to "make a bridge" between the Serena in anime and her becoming the Neo-Queen. She needs to be cold and somewhat detached to make her deepest dreams and desires true."_**

The term **_bridge _**that she used gave me the word to describe some things that will happen, though not exactly in the same way that she meant them.

So thank you both: **ClassAct107** and **Guest (1)**/**Lilly**.

Hence, please note that Rini is here to stay. There is a reason why she hasn't disappeared. It's not because I forgot. I **_am_ **a scatterbrain but I'm **_not_** an airhead. Trust me, there is a brain inside my headand it **_is_** somewhat **_functional_** ;) Also, if you remember, Rini didn't disappear either during the R break up which extended over multiple episodes.

Most times, my stories came to my mind almost fully formed inside my head. I don't know how to explain it. It's just how my mind works. Basically, I just narrate what my mind sees to the best of my ability, rearranging sequences in my head _without_ changing what it sees.

That's why the many requests/suggestions on how/anticipation for S&D to regain their memories in **TOBITF** were never considered. I **_already know_** how they'll get their memories back. It's just not time **_yet_**. Same here, I **_already know_** why Rini hasn't disappeared. It's just not time yet to reveal the reason. My mind tends to see beyond the current chapter and I can't always explain everything in just one chapter. That's not how storytelling works, at least not the way I see it.

I'm asking you to **_trust me_** and to **_let me_** continue this story **_my way_** as I believe **_is my right_**. As it is **_your right_** to stop reading. But if you are here on this page, I'd like to think that there is something you like about this story so far. However, if you think your version is better or that you know best how the story should proceed, you could always write your own version. I don't mind. Just give credit where credit is due and leave me to write **_my story my way_**.

Thank you **natashasurgirl** for pointing out the meaning of the word toddler (I had always assumed it just meant small children) Looking it up I found it referred to children between ages 1-3 years old. Rini is 5/6 years old here. The mistake had been rectified and I got a new knowledge! ;)

Special thanks also to **petites sorcieres, Syulai** and **Yvonnerenee **for how they interpret and see my stories which always seem to mirror my own thoughts. Thank you! ;)

Negative comments and requests for spoilers will be ignored. That said, thank you very much for all the follows/favourites and especially those who took the time to review positively:

**Guest(1): **Glad you thought so! ;) **Sblck: **I'm glad! Andrew will have his say and S will definitely reconnect with at least Molly. P/S: Thanks for letting me ramble without unkind remarks ;) **JazKhanom:** I'm delighted by your response! ;) I honestly don't think they do it on purpose, but it would hurt just the same. **cross-over-lover-232: **LOL. I have my own take on that. Let's see if I can make a believer out of you by the end of the story! ;) **CowabungaBabe95: **I'm glad and I'm back! Here's your update! Thanks for sticking with this story! ;) **scarletmoon: **LOL. I don't see any similarities between them either! Rant away! ;)** xXSakuraBlossomsXx:** LOL. I think they already get that the future isn't set in stone and time paradox is something people could argue all day long ;) **Sessrin:** I'm delighted! :) Sorry for the late update. I can't write coherently when I'm upset :( **escape-reader.13:** LOL. I think it's entirely possible! ;) **CherrySerenity-sama: **I'm really glad you liked it the way it is. Your opinion means a lot :) **Trosario: **I'm glad you thought so! ;) **petites sorcieres: **TBH, I only just read the Manga a few weeks ago and the scene almost made me wish I hadn't read it! It's very disturbing, isn't it? But it's also one of the reasons I decided to write this story. As for Rini knowing about D and Saori's kiss and the fact he apologised, the way my mind sees it, she's very persistent and D was very agitated. Under those circumstances, she would have demanded what happened and he wouldn't have been thinking clearly. As for Molly, you read my mind! I'm going to try and 'fix' that in this story. S concentrated on D and Rini because they were the ones that provoked her directly. Her confrontation with the girls are not yet complete, she will have her moments with them ;) I hope you'll continue to read till the end (even though I don't have a fixed update schedule). I really love the way you see my story and they're always insightful as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to write down your thoughts. I'm very grateful :) **skyjadeprincess: **LOL. I actually think S has already snapped. Everyone will have to face the consequence of their negligence and there'll be more hurt to come but I don't plan for this story to be too long. So it will not be dragged out but just enough for everyone to realise their mistakes and make amends. **Rubyalix: **Glad you thought so! Here's your update! ;) **Cheery Tropay Venturi: **There's more confrontation to come. Anger usually comes in burst. LOL. I still love him too! S hasn't given up. You know how you tell yourself that you want to quit but don't actually do it? That's what was happening. The Outers will make an appearance in later chapters. **Kera69love: **LOL. I'm so glad you liked it and that the chapter didn't disappoint. Hope you'll like this one too! ;) **bunny88rosemagic:** I'm very glad you thought so and I really love your reaction to the chapter :) **BostonBill: **Glad you thought so! ;) Sorry for the long wait. **new-desi-serena: **Good! :)** Galaxy Princess: **I'm glad you're enjoying the story :) As for the kiss, I just thought it had to be addressed because I don't see how she'll get pass it if she's not even allowed to talk about it ;) **Wonderwomanbatmanfan: **Glad you thought so! ;) My apologies for the long wait.** Trish1573:** Two favourite princesses? Oh! LOL. I hope your weeks get better sweet Trish and that this chapter gives you a bit of an escape ;) **witchhazelmoon: ** I'm delighted! :) Hope this new chapter doesn't disappoint. **Guest(2): **I'm glad! Here's an update ;) **yoonsyk:** I agree. Every household is unique and parents do play a vital role :) I wasn't referring to any one reviewer in particular. You'd be surprised at how many readers gave that impression, some more demanding than others (usually via PM). They won't laugh it off, but the gravity of the situation will take time to really sink in. The sentence **_"miserably aware of a great searing fear, of intense loneliness he hadn't felt since he met her_"** was my way of portraying D's dawning realisation that he might be losing S for real, not quite the way you interpreted it. Rini is kept partly, for the reasons you mentioned and going through some episodes in the S and SuperS series, (I only watched a few before) I found quite a number of Amy/D interactions and used some in this chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading my story, providing feedback and also the show of support ;) **Nancy67: **LOL. I hated the disrespectful way she treated S. Of course S & D will get back together…in due time. He has lessons to learn first! ;) **Biche: **Glad you thought so! Hope the confrontation meets your approval ;) **Infinite: **Your review is awesome too! Made me smile :) **Guest(3): **Good that you stood her ground! S will too but I do think that she and D are MFEO, only AFTER he's learned his lessons though ;) **SeleneJade: **What a beautiful compliment! :) **lazzykane:** You're welcome and I didn't like the way she was treated either ;) **MissLadyK18: **That's exactly the way I see it! I'm glad I'm not alone :) **tsuki107: **I'm so very glad you thought so! ;) **Guest(4): **I hate how the points are skipped over too, as though they don't matter. Like it's trivial or mundane. **Guest(5): **The matter is addressed in my A/N. **ClassAct107:** What a compliment! Thank you for seeing my point! The same demands you mentioned is driving me up the wall! ;) **asdfghjklalala: **Your review had the same effect on me as my story did you. To borrow the adjective _you used_, definitely cringe-worthy! As to your PM, I have absolutely **NO** idea how to write a story that contains neither narrative nor dialogue. To my limited knowledge, a story has to contain either one. But if you were to write your own version of **PC** where _both_ dialogues and narrative are the absolute minimal/absent, maybe there's a new writing technique for me to learn there ;) **TheMoonsPanda: **LOL. I absolutely love your reaction to the chapter! It had me smiling a mile wide. Thanks! Sorry for the long wait but here's an update ;) **Bunny915:** Here you go! ;) **MissJay: **LOL. I'm glad you thought so and sorry for the long wait :) **AriellaSerenity: **I'm really glad you're enjoying the story :) My take on the dynamic is that it's rather confused and confusing. The way the friendship is portrayed from one episode to the other is filled with inconsistencies. So I just write my own version to explain them away ;) **Guest/Lilly: **Thanks again. But LOL, you're reviewing chapters I _haven't_ written yet! But I guess that means you're able to picture what I have in mind based on my teaser ;) **Guest(6):** LOL. Funny you should mention it because _two_ of them will make an appearance, one playing a rather significant role ;) **sanoluvme: **I like your reaction. It makes me feel that my writing isn't so bad. I love all the Scouts but Mina is my favourite ;) D will learn his lesson as will the others but yes, him more than others. **Beaucoup riant: **I'm glad you thought so and agree with you about Rini. As for your second review, thank you for the slap in the face. It made me see how selfish people can be and that it's okay to put myself before others under certain circumstances. **Saki-Rose Chan: **Oh I'm glad you liked the story. As for the wrong usage of past tense, I was able to find two but not sure if there's more. I don't know, I'm still trying to master the language but I'm trying my best. Thanks though for pointing out the error of my ways ;) **Syulai:** LOL. Most guys can be I think ;) And I agree with everything you said and love the way you see my stories :) **KagYasha4ever: **I know I'm in the minority to bring up the kiss but I don't think it's realistic to expect her to get over it by everyone pretending it didn't happen. It's not a small matter. Witnessing something like that would scar me for life! I think it's really unfair for everyone to expect her to be okay with it without so much of an apology. I know they were brainwashed but shouldn't there at least been guilt? If I had stabbed someone even accidentally, I'd still feel guilty. You're very welcome and I look forward to your take on this new chapter ;) **UnlovedBandNerd:** Glad you thought so! Yes! Go S! ;) **specialkai: **Thank you for your kind words. It's nice to hear ;) **devafiend: **I'm sorry for the long wait. I think S is strong and I hope I'm able to portray her as such ;) **serena princess 2: **Here you go! ;) **Guest(7): **LOL. Funny you should mention it, I actually have two songs in mind but not quite the way you imagined and not the song you mentioned either. Still, you might like it. I'm hoping you would ;) **TsukioTenshi **& **BrujitaLuna: **Sorry about that. There was no update. **Ryndc-chan: **I think yours is my favourite review for Chapter 3 (there are almost 200 altogether inclusive of all the PMs). I love the way you described my writing and the story. It makes me think I'm not doing such a bad job ;) Thanks ever so much!I needed it! :) **Becky: **I hope it was good tear, cathartic at least :) I'm glad you liked the story and here's more! **Hotgirlow: **I'm glad! Here's more! ;) **Luna89m: **D I think is very polite in nature and reserved, not one for public spectacle. He was teaching Amy and carried on with it. The seating arrangement is actually from Episode 136, as were a lot of the dialogue. Rini and Raye have their respective reason which will be covered in due time ;) **Guest(8):** LOL. The only animal I have great affection for are horses ;) **UsaMamo1989: **I'm glad you agreed with my take ;) It's rather sad isn't it? **LadyThetaSigma: **I love that you like the story! The girls and D will have more confrontations with S and each will realise their callousness with her but maybe not the way you imagined it. Stay tuned to find out and thanks for the show of support! ;) **nira avalon: **I'm glad you do and I agree with everything you said. Here's an update! ;) **Yvonnerenee: **Can I just say, I really love your reactions to my stories and how you interpret my writings? I truly do! Thanks! ;) **Chas: **I'm glad you liked my story. I'll keep writing. I may need to take a break from it every now and then but I'll finish my stories. Thanks for the show of faith in my ability to write ;) **LNovotasky: **I'm sorry for the long wait and glad you approved of the direction this story is going ;) **Princess Eternal:** They do take her for granted, don't they?Here's the next chapter! ;)** Sabina21:** Read on to find out! ;) **Redheart96: **I'm so glad you do and grateful you thought to let me know. Thanks for understanding and sorry for the long wait. I hope you're still reading ;) **Lunar Cadet:** I love how you always have something kind and encouraging to say :) It's very appreciated and needed. With regard to the other sites, I have a bit of security issues to consider. So I guess I'll continue to update here or not at all. But I made a promise to finish my stories and though I needed the break, I'm not about to let some thoughtless bullies turn me into a person that I'm not, one who breaks her word. That's not who I am. Thank you for your support and understanding :) **crafty chick: **There will be someone but I'm not sure 'hook up' is the appropriate term of what they will be. TBH, I really think S&D belong together ;) **JaguarSolaris: **I'm really glad and humbled that you see my story the way you do :) **Guest(9): **Good! ;) **natashasurgirl: **I'm glad you're reading the story and approved of it so far and thanks again for pointing out the 'toddler' misconception I had. It's always nice to learn something new and nicer when the lesson is given courteously, not condescendingly :) **jessicanicoleharp: **I'm really delighted you thought so and love your reaction to my writings ;) ** GraphicsChyk**: Here's an update and I'm glad the chapter moved you ;) **Nightshade08: **I'm glad you liked it. The observation regarding Mina was actually surprising to me too but that's the way my mind sees the scene and I always write my stories the way my mind sees them ;) **blackbutterfly21: **I love that my story was able to make you feel. Thanks for sharing that titbit with me. It means a lot ;) **Guest(10): **Here's the next update! ;) **rosebudjamie: **I'm thankful that you liked the story and apologise for the long wait for this chapter ;) **Guest(11): **LOL. Here's more! ;) **dragonball256: **I hated how she was treated too and I agree with you, it's a huge red flag when they don't even realise what they're doing. The hurt runs deep for her to forget so easily but forgiveness has always been S's greatest strength (in my opinion) **iBott: **I'm pleased you were able to relate to the character I wrote ;) Here's an update! **AntoSama:** Yeay! Here's an update! ;) **Curious: **People perceive things differently and react differently. I get that. But I'm afraid I'll never get used to harsh words nor do I want to. Emotions work both ways. Becoming thick skinned and insensitive to what was said by others could also desensitise me to the feelings of others and if ending up as crass as the very people I've learned to pity, I'll say no thanks. I won't turn myself into the inconsiderate, tactless people who attacked without provocation and dissociating myself from the very emotions that makes me human may do that. I **_am_** working on not letting it bother me too much. The note was a product of too much pressure from too many directions and I lost my way for awhile, clouded by hurt and frustration. Don't worry, I may need to take a break every now and then but I'm not weak. I'll hide and nurse my wounds but I don't quit. It's not in me. Faceless cowards hiding behind their anonymity don't dictate my actions. Positive or negative reviews, in the end, I'll decide for myself if and when I'll update my stories. If I don't feel like it or don't have the time for it, I won't. My time and my story: My decision and no one else's. Either way, I'm glad you liked my story and thank you for your feedback. I'm truly grateful :) **tyne: **It's pleasing and humbling to know that my story is able to invoke feelings in others. Thanks for letting me know ;) **Guest(11): **Here you go! ;) **Guest(12): **Thanks for your beautiful kind words and support. Don't worry, I'll keep writing ;) **CaughtInAFantasy:** I'm glad! Here's more! ;)

**SailorMoonForever:** LOL. Of course it's allowed ;p and I'm **_very_** glad you approved! Haha… You know it's very lucky that I speak **SMF **language and understood exactly what you're saying! ;) Andrew will have his say and S will have more than just him in her corner. You trust me, don't you? ;p

**Telepathic communications / thoughts are in **_Italics**.**_

(Standard disclaimer: I do not own any of the Sailor Moon characters. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.)

* * *

><p><span><strong>Perfect Couple (Part 3: Perverse Conjectures, Punitive Consequences)<strong>

**_Cherry Hill Temple _**

"Amy, I want you to scan Serena for any foreign entity," Luna's grim tone broke the silence after Serena's departure and brought a horrified gasp out of Lita.

"You can't be serious? This is Serena we're talking about!" the brunette protested vehemently.

Luna's answer was grave, "Exactly. This _is_ Serena we're talking about and she _isn't_ acting like Serena."

"She was upset! And with good reason! You can't expect for her to be calm when someone not only went for Darien but also managed to steal a kiss from him." Lita argued on her friend's behalf.

"It goes beyond that. _Serena_ would not have brought up…" Luna's voice trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to address the kiss that was mentioned before. It felt completely wrong to her and made her stomach rolled.

Lita shook her head, "People say things out of anger all the time. Serena may be angry and hurt and God knows she gets jealous sometimes, but where it counted the most, her heart is too pure and her will is too strong to be overtaken by something evil."

She turned to Amy and looked pleadingly, "Amy, you can't seriously consider Luna's request. We'd be betraying Serena's trust!"

Amy's face was pale when she answered, "It's just a scan…to make sure that she's alright. I'm sure she'll understand that it's not because we don't have faith in her. All of us at one point have been overpowered by evil before, right?" The bluenette's tone was uncertain, torn between loyalty to her friend and the need to be sure that that _was_ her friend and not some other entity _pretending_ to be her friend. The Serena she knew would _never_ hurt her!

"I didn't sense any evil coming from her," Raye's tone was uncharacteristically subdued, her face troubled.

Lita scoffed at that, "Of course not! Serena would be the _last_ person capable of any evil!"

Amy shook her head slowly.

"What is it, Ames?" Raye was the one to ask the question.

Amy cleared her throat. "Now, this is not mere conjecture," she was silent for a moment before reluctantly continuing, "It's just that, centuries of literature have proven on more than one occasion that the greatest evil could come from the greatest good… and Serena…probably owns the most pure heart there is," Her answer was tentative and hesitant but weighed heavily just the same.

Lita was completely horrified. "What nonsense! Are you seriously accusing Serena…" she was too horrified to continue.

Not that Amy would have allowed her to voice that appalling notion out loud anyway. Her response was immediate and indignant, "Of course not, Lita! I love Serena every bit as much as you do! I'm just saying that logic and recorded historical events dictate that…"

"Screw logic! This is Serena we're talking about! Just for once, use your heart instead of your head!"

While the three Scouts and the cat guardians continued with the argument at hand, Mina had gone straight to the main door to head Darien off, unaware of the little pink haired girl who followed closely behind her.

"I believe she said she needed a break," the blonde Scout of Love frostily addressed the reincarnated Prince of the Earth.

Darien bit back an oath as he ran an agitated hand through his hair. "Give me a bit of credit, Mina."

"Why should I?" she demanded, "How could you be so stupid as to let another girl kiss you?"

"I didn't _let _her. She took me by surprise. It came out of nowhere."

"That's not exactly true. You blew Serena and me off to spend time with her and you spent the _whole_ day with her instead of us," Rini mentioned quietly. "And the kiss happened while the two of you were _alone_ together in your apartment."

She felt better saying that out loud. Deep down, the consequence of her actions shocked and terrified her. She hadn't realised that Serena would get so angry. Taunting Serena was something that started as a defence mechanism but had quickly become instinctive to her. It was _knee-jerk_ to treat Serena the way she did. Besides, even the girls and Darien tend to put Serena down. Still, what had happened yesterday, to her mind, was as much Darien's fault.

_He __**did **__blow Serena and me off to spend time with __**Officer **__Saori and they __**were **__alone in his apartment_, she thought resentfully.

Darien groaned. It had been a mistake to share what had happened with Rini but he hadn't been thinking clearly and the little girl was upset over Serena's parting remark and was her usual persistent self when she demanded to know what had happened. He had volunteered the information to explain why Serena was so upset and when the little girl freaked out over the kiss and started plying him with accusations, he had no choice but to defend himself. At the time, the thought of someone else he cared about being hurt by his actions and being angry and upset with him was more than he could bear.

Mina took a deep breath to calm herself, "Rini, I need to speak with Darien in private," she said firmly and turned to him with a fierce scowl when the little girl left them alone.

"Would you care to explain yourself?" she growled out her question.

"Not right now, Mina," Darien said impatiently and tried to get past her.

She held her ground and shoved his chest, "Yes Darien, right now or I'll make sure you _never_ see Serena again," she gritted out.

Seeing the fierce look in her eyes, he believed her and with clipped tones he filled her in briefly and briskly.

Mina opened her mouth, shut it again. "You'd better fix this, Darien," she finally hissed out at him, her hands fisted at her sides to keep from punching him in the face. How the guy could be so oblivious to a girl hitting on him and throwing herself at him is completely beyond her! And the way he handled the situation… she had no words for his obtuseness!

Sending him a hard, level look, she continued, "Or I'm going to fix _you_."

He returned her gaze evenly, "I don't doubt that for a second. Can I go now?" The question came out sarcastic as well as impatient.

If she had seen only anger in his eyes, she would have snapped back at him but she saw fear as well. She drew in another deep breath and stepped aside. "I suggest you give her a bit of space to cool down first and also for you to cool down a bit as well. Don't hurt her anymore than you already have, Darien." The last sentence was given as an order, a threat and a plea.

He nodded briskly and hurriedly left the place.

**_Crown Arcade_**

Serena walked determinedly towards the arcade, resolved to find Molly and apologise to her childhood friend. She had been horrified to realise that she was doing to Molly, exactly what the Scouts were doing to her. The burden of guilt at having taken her friend for granted and being negligent weighed heavily on her.

Seeing the girl in question sitting with another childhood friend that she had managed to dissociate herself from, sitting in their usual booth at the arcade filled her with both relief and apprehension.

She took a deep breath, nodded resolutely to herself and marched to Andrew with a forced smile on her face.

"One vanilla milkshake, one chocolate milkshake and one strawberry milkshake please, Andrew," she requested softly.

Andrew looked at her with twinkling eyes. "Feeling extra thirsty today?" he teased as he gave her an affectionate one arm hug over the counter. The sight of her never failed to brighten up his day.

Serena let out a small chuckle and shook her head, "I just thought I'd spend some time with Molly and Melvin," she said and tilted her head in their direction, "It's been awhile." The last sentence said so wistfully had Andrew glancing sharply at her, studying her face thoughtfully.

"Everything okay?" he asked quietly in concern.

Serena nodded and forced her smile brighter so he wouldn't worry. "I just miss them is all," she answered with a casual shrug.

He nodded, patted her head and gestured for her to join her friends. "I'll bring the milkshakes to you."

Serena walked slowly towards the booth where Molly's reddish brown head bent together with Melvin's sandy blond one, absorbed in a private conversation over a book that was shared between them, empty cups and half eaten platter of fries on the table in front of them.

She stood hesitating to the side for a moment, contemplating what to say, unprepared for the awkwardness she felt.

"I wonder how Serena is doing. Don't you miss her too, Melvin?" Molly's voice with her unique accent brought Serena out of her reverie.

She looked towards Molly who still had her back to her and Melvin's gaze that was now looking up at her with startled curiosity.

Molly continued talking as though unaware of her presence, "You don't think she's forgotten all about us, do you?" She waited a beat while her boyfriend squirmed uncomfortably, unsure how to respond. And then she shifted and met Serena's gaze directly, unblinking. "Did you, Sere? Forget all about us?" The question was asked as soft as a whisper, the impact as hard as a hammer.

Serena started to speak and found her throat snapped shut. She could only shake her head as her eyes started to mist.

Molly studied her best friend's face. Even if she hadn't known Serena almost her whole life, the remorse was so clear for her to see.

"Melvin, I need a moment with Serena," she said to the blond boy without taking her gaze off of Serena's face.

"Girl talk is it? Take your time. I'm going to try out that new game everyone says is impossible to win. I'm convinced there is a formula to winning and I'm going to figure it out!" Melvin said as he stood up. Before he left though, he squeezed Serena's arm in a silent show of support and comfort. "It's good to see you, Sere," he whispered for her ears only.

Serena watched him leave and then turned back to Molly, her teeth biting her bottom lip to keep her emotions under control.

Taking a deep breath, she tried for a smile. "He's good for you. I'm glad the two of you have each other," she said softly and then looking imploringly and apologetically into Molly's blue eyes, "Especially since I've been such an absent friend."

Molly studied her a bit longer before replying gently, "Well, you're here now. That's what count." Her lips curved as she tilted her head to the empty space next to her, "Are you going to join me?" She asked with raised brows and an almost teasing note.

Serena's mouth opened and closed before she managed to form a word. Her eyes changed, misting yet again, but softened with relief.

She slid in the seat to hug Molly tight. Laughing, Molly squeezed Serena against her, just as tightly.

"I've missed you!" They both said at the same time, ""So much!" Both girls started laughing again as Andrew came and placed their drinks in front of them, smiling gladly at the laughter he heard. He left after a light stroke to Serena's hair, relief to see that she was okay.

Sobering, Serena looked deeply into Molly's eyes, "I'm sorry I've been absent and distant. I know I haven't been a good friend lately but I want…"

"Serena. You're not just a good friend. You're my **_best _**friend," Molly interrupted her and took both of Serena's hands in hers. "We've been through enough and I know you enough to know that you wouldn't just turn your back on me without good reasons and if you didn't tell me, there must be reasons for that as well. I didn't just know you yesterday, you know. We've been friends _too long_, our bond _too strong_ for me to **_ever_** question your friendship," she said earnestly.

And just like that, the two friends fell back into their easy camaraderie, "So that just now…" Serena started to tease.

"That just now, was me giving you a bit of a hard time as payback for taking awhile to realise that you were drawing further and further away from us and making me miss you too much," Molly continued straight faced.

"I've missed you too, Molly. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise…"

"I told you. I know you have your reasons and when and_ if_ you're ready, you'll share them with me. I may not like it and would prefer not to have to wait or be kept in the dark. But I love you enough to give you benefit of doubt and know you enough to know that you're of two minds on whether to share your reasons," Molly interjected firmly. "I can still read your face, you know!" she added on a lighter note to ease her friend's conscience. For now she was just glad to have Serena back.

Serena pressed their joined hands to her heart, almost overwhelmed by the faith in her that she felt completely undeserving of. "I _will _tell you. But you're right. _Now_ may not be the time _yet_, because it doesn't just involve me. It's not entirely _my_ story to tell." Her regret was clear both in her tone and eyes that were begging for her friend's understanding and forgiveness. "I will promise though, that I will _never_ pull away from you again, not emotionally. There will be times and things that I may not be able to explain but you will _never_ doubt your worth to me, the value of our friendship, ever again."

"Oh Serena, I never doubted that for a second! You may have kept your distance but I _always_ know that if I need you, _really_ need you, you'd **_be_** there for me. I've never question that. _Ever,_" Molly said as she hugged Serena close to her once again.

When she let go of her best friend, her lips curved to match the happiness in her eyes. Seeing the remnant of sadness that was usually so foreign on Serena's face, she sought to comfort and lighten the situation, "Besides, it gave Melvin and me the chance to really explore our relationship," she said cheekily though not without a hint of roses on her cheeks.

Serena laughed at that and her gaze wandered to the boy in question, one who for the longest time of their friendship, fancied himself in love with her instead of Molly. "I'm really glad that the two of you have each other and so happy together," she said sincerely even as Melvin rejoined them at the booth.

Over at the furthest, more secluded end of the counter, Darien sat on a stool, turned sideways so that his back rested against the wall, watching the three friends chatting happily. Twin mix of relief and sorrow warred inside his heart. Relief because she finally seemed less troubled and sorrow because his absence was probably the cause for it. He decided to let her have her moment of peace undisturbed for a bit longer.

"You look horrible, Darien." Andrew commented as he set a cup of coffee in front of his best friend.

"It goes with how I feel."

Andrew took a harder look at his best friend who had yet to take his eyes off of his Meatball Head and then turned to his little sister, "Lizzie, I'm taking a break, okay?"

He took a seat opposite of Darien across the counter. "Want to tell me why you're staring at Serena instead of joining her?"

"She dumped me."

Surprised but unperturbed, Andrew's respond was calm. "Serena loves you, Darien."

"She said she didn't want to."

Andrew shook his head. Something was not quite right with the picture. So he asked a simple question to find out the answer, "Why?"

Darien frowned in confusion, "Why what?"

"Why did she say that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Darien, Serena's crazy in love with you. She's also the kindest soul there is. She accepts people the way they are and never holds a grudge. Heck, I don't think she even knows how! And she definitely doesn't say things out of spite. She may tease, but she's not spiteful. So, what did you do that made her say that she didn't want to love you?"

Darien blew out a breath. "I messed up. But I'm not even sure how exactly."

"You don't know what you did wrong? Or you don't know why she's upset?"

"Is there a difference?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"God, sometimes, you're every bit as confusing as she is."

"And yet we are the two people who know you best."

"True. So very true...Well, not so true in this case."

"You're hedging and that tells me you did something wrong and you know exactly what you did."

Darien stared blankly at Andrew. Seeing the determination in the hazel green eyes, he knew his best friend was not about to back down. It probably also didn't help that Andrew thought of Serena as a little sister, loved her like one and was extremely protective of her. He sighed and proceeded to tell Andrew about the kiss with Saori.

Andrew was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was very low, a telltale sign that he was trying to restrain himself from doing something or saying something that he might regret. "You… let… Saori kiss you?"

Darien rubbed his hand over his face in agitation "I didn't _let _her. She took me by surprise. It came out of nowhere." He was beginning to feel like a broken record.

Andrew took a deep breath. His voice remained very low. "It didn't come out of nowhere, Darien," he gritted out and shook his head at the bafflement on his friend's face and raked his own hand over his face, "Darien, _our whole class_ knows how Saori feels about you. And you spending the _whole day_ with her, showering her with _affection_ and _inviting_ her to your apartment when you're normally so reserved, that probably made her think you're returning her feelings. So, **_no_** Darien, I wouldn't say the kiss came out of nowhere, not _at all_."

Darien's defence mechanism clicked in before he could stop it and his voice rose slightly in frustration, "I _told _her that I have a girlfriend! I even introduced her to Serena, that very morning!"

"And yet you blew Serena off to spend time with _her _and did so _in front_ of her!" Andrew was starting to lose his patience as well. He raised his hand before Darien could protest and said as calmly as his patience allowed. "If I know Sere, she would have wanted to spend time with you. Why couldn't she have joined you and Saori? It was a Saturday. You see Saori every week day. Why couldn't you spend your Saturday with Serena?"

Serena's words rang loudly in Darien's mind, "I'll bet you've been out with Saori more times, spent more times with her than you do with me. Your time alone with her today is probably more than your time alone with me for the whole month!"

The guilt made him even more defensive. "I see Serena every week day too!"

"News flash Darien, Saori is a classmate, Sere is your _girlfriend_!"

Mistaking Darien's tight face as remonstration rather than mortification, Andrew scoffed, "And since you brought that up, you see her _here_ at _this _arcade on week days. I know for a fact that a daily meeting hasn't been the case for awhile. You meet on most days, yes. But either Rini or the girls would be with you. It was never just the two of you. Not _some _time Darien, _all _the time."

"Do you _ever_ just want to spend time with **_me_**, anymore?" Serena's words and her wounded eyes flashed in his mind, tormented until he was sick with regret. His temper fled and his shoulders slumped in defeat. He raked his fingers in his raven hair as his eyes pleaded with his best friend for understanding and compassion.

Andrew's response was a cool eyed stare. Another deep breath and another shake of the head before he continued softly with a mixed of sadness and subtle reprimand, "Sometimes, even to me who knows you so well, but especially to those who don't know you, the way you treat Serena made her come across as a little sister you tolerate _out of love_ rather than the girlfriend that you're _in love_ _with_ and dying to spend time with."

"I'm _crazy_ in love with her. I love her _so_ much I don't know what to do with it or how to deal with it!"

"I know you do, Dare. But you're very sparing in your show of affection. You can't blame Sere for feeling insecure."

"I don't. I was trying to talk to her this morning. Went and join her study session with the girls at Raye's place. The thing is…"

Andrew remembered the dejected look that Serena came in with earlier. His eyes narrowed in alarm. "What happened?"

Darien shook his head and buried it in his hands for a moment. "I don't know exactly how, but things got even more out of hands. It was as though she had all this resentment stored inside of her, not just for me but for all of us. She didn't even touch on the kiss with Saori. Suddenly it was her best friends flirting with me, how they would be better for me, how Rini is in love with me. She even thought that we all see her as irresponsible and selfish and the look on her face when she said that she has **_other_** friends who don't find her too lacking or inferior…"

His eyes were full of hurt and confusion but his denial was vehement and forceful, "I don't find her lacking or inferior! None of us do! I _swear_ I don't know where all these accusations and conjectures came from. To contemplate that something might be brewing with Raye and _Amy_ of all people, it's like she doesn't even know me! And that speculation about Rini wanting me all to herself and being in love with me…" he couldn't stop the small shudder that escaped him.

Andrew's silence had him studying the blond carefully. His best friend's expressionless face filled his gut with dread and his mind with complete bewilderment, "You can't be serious?" His eyes were wide with disbelieve. "You actually _agree_ with her?"

Andrew's mouth folded in a grimly uncompromising line. He had to take another deep breath. But his points were delivered one by one, matter-of-factly, "While you and her friends may not think of her as lacking or inferior, all of you do, at one time or the other, put her down and dismiss her opinions on a regular basis. You went out with Raye before you got together with her. When Rini showed up, you broke up with her and in all the weeks it took for you to get back together with her, you spent all your free time with Rini, while ignoring her. As for Amy, I've actually _seen_ the two of you flirting for myself."

Darien sputtered, "Are you _insane_? Amy would _never _betray Serena that way and neither would I!"

"I don't think either of you were conscious of what you were doing." Andrew held his hand up before Darien could interrupt, "She was sitting in the exact spot you are sitting right now, upset. You came out of concern, I think because she's one of Sere's friends. The two of you started talking with her telling you her worries and you consoling her. It ended with you telling her your greatest fear of getting a needle but how you wouldn't mind if the one administering it were as kind and _pretty_ as her and practically begging her not to change a thing about herself because _she's already got everything it takes_."

Darien's face flushed as he recalled the conversation. "I didn't mean anything by it," he murmured.

"No. I don't think you did. And I definitely don't think that either Amy or you would **_intentionally _** betray Serena that way."

Andrew's expression softened slightly as he continued, "There is nothing wrong with harmless flirtation between friends as long as everyone know where they stand. Heck, even I couldn't help flirt back with Mina or Lita sometimes. It was all in good fun. Everyone knows that it's Reika I love, Mina and Lita are both aware that there was no weight behind it, and Reika's secure enough in my love for her not to be threatened by it. But**_ I_** show Reika that I love her _all _the time. I don't hide my love for Reika from Mina and Lita either. There wasn't any way for them to get the wrong impression that my love for Reika would shift towards them. I was clear on **_who_** I love and **_how much_** I love her. She has no reason to feel insecure and other girls have no reason to think they might stand a chance with me."

Andrew clasped Darien's shoulder and looked earnestly into his deep blue eyes to get his point across. "**_You_** are not free with your affections. You've become better at it _because _of Serena. You started treating others including girls who may have feelings for you, such as Saori and Raye and even Amy, better, with less detachment. But the way you treat **_Serena_**, outwardly, to people who don't know you well enough, you're indifferent to her, certainly not like a man in love. So, while I don't agree with her entirely, Serena's insecurities are _not _baseless, Saori thinking she might stand a chance with you didn't come out of _nowhere_ and Amy, even if she didn't have feelings for you in the first place, you're not exactly easy for girls to resist with your good looks and mysterious, brooding personality. Girls_ like_ that. They fall for it _all_ the time. You even have your own fan club, Darien. That ought to give you a clue. If you keep flirting with Amy, saying all those sentimental crap to her all the while putting Serena down, don't be surprise if Amy starts having feelings for you."

"I _never_ put Serena down, not since we got together!" Darien insisted, anger lacing the edges of his tone, the last part came out defensively when he recalled how he used to put her down all the time before they found out each other's identity as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask and Serenity and Endymion.

"Actually, you did, Darien. As your best friend but also someone who is outside of the situation, enough to observe it somewhat objectively, it looked to me as though there _were _something brewing between you and Amy then. In fact, if I hadn't been your best friend and know you as well as I do, I would've been sure of it. When Amy commented on how Serena has lots of dreams and full of spirit, your response was to say that Serena was definitely full of_ something_ but not always spirit. It left such an impression on my mind that I _still_ remember your words, the tone with which you said them and the expression on your face while saying them. Hearing the words out of your mouth, the **_way_** you said them, **_I _** actually felt betrayed on Serena's behalf. Imagine if **_she_** had been there in my place! In fact if she hadn't shown up when she did, I would've said something about it to you right then and there regardless of propriety! But she _did_ show up and even with Amy faking, although I don't think that it was completely _faked_, her interest in you, Serena managed to make light her insecurities, turned it into harmless banter, the way she _always _does every time one of you slighted her. So I let it go. But thinking back, perhaps I should've said something."

Darien remained silent but Andrew knew him well enough to know that he _was_ listening very carefully, pondering and weighing everything that was said.

"I'm your best friend, Darien. But Serena's like a sister to me. I've known her and loved her, longer. Serena buries her hurt in plain sight, behind those so called crocodile tears. It's her way of letting her grievances out without seeming too serious about it and hurting anyone's feelings, making them feel bad about themselves or worrying them. I thought you and the girls would have figured that out. It's not in her to hurt others. She's too selfless and loyal to put herself first. So, if she's lashing out, it's either you went too far or she's reached her limit."

* * *

><p><span>Posted on fanfiction<span>: **12 November 2014**

**A/N:** The main **Perverse Conjectures** in this chapter to me was the expectation on Molly and Andrew's reactions. Both have known S for a long time and know her **_well_**. _Of course_ Molly will have faith in S's friendship and _of course_ Andrew will understand where she's coming from! As to S&D confrontation, the chapter got too long. So I decided that will take place in the following chapter instead.

Review only if you have something positive to say. Rant all you want as long as it's directed towards the _characters_ and **_not_** at _me_. I can't stop any hurtful comments but they'll just make me pity the ones who wrote them even more. If the only way to feel good about one self is to put others down and scrutinised their work for every mistake and ugliness there is, what a pathetic existence one must lead.

My stand on updates is on my profile. I don't have a fixed schedule to give. I only write when I feel like it and when my own personal schedule and health permits it. Also, I'm afraid my creative mind is, as opposed to my organised academic mind, extremely chaotic. My snippets don't come in sequence and therefore I don't write my chapters in sequence. So while readers were **_assuming_** that I haven't been writing, most times, I **_was_** writing, but for other chapters rather than current ones. Hence, please **_STOP_** scolding me for not writing and **_STOP_** telling me to grow a thicker skin. My ability to **_feel_** emotions **_contribute_** to the chapters I write. The main reason most of **_you_** claim to read my stories is also for how they made you **_feel_**. It's hypocritical to ask me to ignore **_my_** feelings when you want my chapters to satisfy **_your_** feelings.

**ADDITIONAL INFORMATION**: Amy & D scene (referred by Andrew) occurred in Episode 97: **Damp Spirits**. I just basically take the first and the last scene from the episode and incorporate them into the story, manipulated to suit my purpose. The two scenes were combined into one and the venue was changed to the arcade so that Andrew bore witness to it and can comment about it. Consider it an author's prerogatives ;)


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